HOW-TO-MAKE -A 
COUNTRY  PLACE 


JOSEPH  -DILLAWAY-  SAWYER 


I    LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 

!      SAN  DIEGO       ! 


HOW   TO   MAKE  A 
COUNTRY  PLACE 


TO  THE   MEMORY   OF 

ANN    MARIA   D1LLAWAY   SAWYER 

MY   MOTHER 

WHO   FOSTERED   IN   ME   A    LOVE 
OF   THE   COUNTRY 


**^  <y  . 

nx>  <?  C^xx  OQ. 


CO, 

•x 


<M*A^f~u 

cxxT.cL    p^O<fKAru 
coV^^jij^    c»b     c^/     »-ce<;t<o*ccL 
J     o-^xx^  o& 

«'''        I  ^/ 


THE    FARM    AS    WE    FOUND    IT,    AND    HOW 
WE     CHANGED     ITS     FACE     AND     SKYLINE. 


How   To    Make    a 
Country   Place 


An  Account  of  the  Successes  and  the  Mistakes 
of  an  Amateur  in  Thirty-five  years  of 
Fjarming,  Building,  and  Development: 
Together  with  a  Practical  Plan  for 
Securing  a  Home  and  An  Independent 
Income,  Starting  with  Small  Capital 


By 

JOSEPH   DILLAWAY  SAWYER 


Illustrated 


NEW    YORK 

ORANGE   JUDD   COMPANY 

LONDON 

KEGAN  PAUL,  TRENCH,  TRUBNER  &  Co.,  Limited 
1914 


Copyright,  i9i4,   by 
JOSEPH   D.  SAWYER 

All  Rights  Reserved 


ENTERED  AT  STATIONERS'  HALL,  LONDON,  ENGLAND 


Printed  in  U.  S.  A. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  FARM — REMODELING  THE  FARM  HOUSE — HYGIENE — WATER 
SUPPLY — SEWAGE — FARM  LAWN  —  ANIMALS  —  THE  DAIRY — 
POULTRY — BEES — STAR  GAZING  1 

CHAPTER  II. 

OUR  BIRDS — FRUIT — INSECTS — FARM  HELP — BOYS'  CABIN — PETS — 
FORESTRY — GAME  PRESERVE — HEDGES — ROADS — GUTTERS — ICE — 
PLAY  SIDE  OF  FARMING — COUNTY  FAIR — SYMPTOMS  OF  BUILD- 
ING MANIA  35 

CHAPTER  III. 

EVOLUTION  OF  FARMARCADIA  INTO  HILLCREST  MANOR,  BEGINNING 
WITH  THE  ARBORETUM — TREE  PLANTING — ANYWHERE  PLANTS 
— WONDER  TREE — HORTICULTURAL  ALPHABET — POET'S  CORNER — 
PRUNING  —  BLUE  RIBBON  Six  —  FOREST  THINNING  —  MAPLE 
SUGAR  HARVEST — BUGS  AND  BUTTERFLIES — "YARBS" — WILD 
GARDEN — BOGLAND — TRY-OUT  NURSERY  77 

CHAPTER  IV. 

HILLTOP — STONY  CREST — THE  GABLES — BUENA  VISTA — HILLCREST 
HOUSE — STORM  KING — STONEHENGE — SKY  ROCK — BRIER  CLIFF 
—  CROFTLEIGH  HOUSE  — -  CLIFFMONT  —  BREEZEMONT — LEDGES  — 
DRACHENFELS — ISLAND  HOUSE — CROSSWAYS — RED  TOWERS 105 

CHAPTER  V. 
BELLERICA — WHITE  ROCK — YACHTSMAN'S  SHELTER — SHORE  ROCKS          157 

CHAPTER  VI. 
PINNACLE,  THE  HOUSE  IDEAL,  YET  THOROUGHLY  PRACTICAL — HOME         211 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Bungalows- 

RESTCLIFF — PORTABLE  HOUSE — CLIFF  EYRIE — TINY  COTE — CRAGS — 

FAIRVIEW — TREE  TOP — HEARTSEASE — SEA  BOULDERS  . .  245 


viii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

How  TO  BUILD,  AND  KEEP  WITHIN  THE  LIMIT  DECIDED  UPON,  A 
LIVABLE  HOUSE  FOR  FROM  $2,500  TO  $12,000 — A  MANSION  UP  TO 
$100,000  281 

CHAPTER  IX. 
DRY  TECHNIQUE  OF  BUILDING,  WRITTEN  FOR  THE  AMATEUR 293 

CHAPTER  X. 

How  TO  BECOME  A  HOUSEHOLDER  WITH  TWENTY  TENANTS  IN  YOUR 

EMPLOY,  STARTING  WITH  A  CAPITAL  OF  $2,000 331 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Acme  of  Contentment 18 

Adding  to  the  Domicile 60 

A  Few  Things  that  Happened 

to  the  Farm 46 

Aggravating  Fence  Rows 48 

Alice  271 

Alice  from  Aloft 271 

Alice  under  Headway 260 

All  Aboard  195 

An  Easterly  at  Work  with  a 

Will  163 

Angora  Aurea  76,  1 14 

Arboretum 30,  46,  54,  56,  66,  70 

Arboretum  Drive 139 

Arboretum,  Snow-blanketed.  .54,  117 
Arboretum,  the  Second  Year...  54 

Arch  under  Gazebo 173 

Argosy  264,  271 

At  Home;  The  Cot 60 

At  the  Mooring 272 

At  the  Pier 166 

Ausable  Jr 52,  67 

Back  Lane 62 

Balcony  177 

Balustrade  195 

Bare  Ground  to  Dense  Foliage.  128 

Barnyard  56 

Barnyard  that  Faced  the  Dining 

Room  36 

Bathing  Beach 198 

Beach  and  Rock 185 

Becalmed  202 

Becalmed,  "Bejiggered" 272 

Beginnings  of  Motor  Cave 275 

Bellerica  157,  192,  267 

Bellerica  (Summer) 267 

Bellerica  (Winter) 267 

Belvedere  173,  182,  191,  207 

Big  Bay  Window 180,  187 

Biggest  Corn  Field 16 

Big  Opening  in  Wall  of  Sea 

Boulders  275 

Big  Four 109 

Bit  of  the  Beach 181 

Black  Pearl 17 

Blizzard  of  1888 43 

Boat  Cave 184 

Boat  on  which  Perilous  Trip 

Was  Made 286 

Boat  that  Drew  Four  Inches...  271 

Boat  Ways 259 

Boating  Layout 191 

Boston  Hip  76 


Both  Gentle 12 

Bouldered  Entrance 246 

Boy  and  the  Flag 176 

Breakfast  Alcove 187 

Breakfast  Room  Window 173 

Breeze  Points 265 

Breezemont  42,  46,  117 

Breezemont,  Double-decked 139 

Breezemont  Floor  Plans 109,  138 

Breezemont  from  Outline  to 

Finish  139 

Breezemont,  How  We  Built  It..  139 

Breezemont,  Our  Best  House...  139 
Bridge  between  Our  Manhattan 

and  Bronx 76,  136 

Briercliff,  Four  Seasons 131,  133 

Briercliff  Growing  from  Cliff.  131,  46 

Brunette  253 

Buena  Vista  38,  44,  46,  118 

Buena  Vista  Floor  Plans  109 

Buena  Vista,  Interior  50 

Buena  Vista,  North  Front  116 

Buena  Vista  Site  112 

Buena  Vista,  South  and  East 

Fronts  116 

Buena  Vista,  South  Front  116 

Builder  Foreman  52 

Building  of  Crossways  149 

Building  of  the  Big  House  126 

Building  the  Arch  123 

Bungalow  Chien  20 

Bungalow  Ideal  278 

Bungalow  Second  250 

Butlery  Door  177 

Big  Crop  48 

Caller  Who  Crossed  the  Thresh- 
old        176 

Callers    12 

Canopied  Veranda  298 

Care-free     288 

Care-free  Days    260 

Care-free  Hours   186 

Careless  Handling   272 

Carved  by  the  Elements    186 

Casement  Doors    168 

Cattle  Barns    30 

Cattle  Yard     30,  76 

Cedar  Arbor    256 

Cement  Reinforced  Veranda ....  202 

Changes   165 

Changing  the  Farm.... 36,  38,  40,  44 
Cherry  Lane  52,  54 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Chickens  Are  Safe 18 

Children's    Bathing   Pool 

173,  191,  204 

Chums    20 

Cliff  Eyrie    ...258,  269,  276,  279,  286 

Cliffmont 138 

Cliffmont,   Framing  and   Finish- 
ing     40,  46 

Close   Quarters 255 

Closet  Windowed  Rooms 178 

Clothes  Chute  Closet 194 

Cloud  in  the  West 48 

College  Full  Back 8 

Commencement  of  Hostilities...       6 

Concrete    Steps 182 

Congratulating  Self 286 

Connecticut  Capri    201 

Conservatory    

165,  178,  182,  190,  195,  196 

Conservatory    Fountain 191 

Construction  in  Varied  Stages . .   167 

Continental   Water   Wheel 6 

Corner  of   Pier 204 

Corner    Windows 177 

Cot    60 

Cot  Bedroom   62 

Cot  Layout   114 

Covering  the  Hay  Field 46 

Crags    192,  261,  267,  276,  286 

Crags  Entrance  Posts    263 

Crags,  Off  for  Cape  Ann 261 

Crags  Site,  Bare    262 

Crags  Site,  before  and  after....   165 
Crags     Site,    Where    We    Built 

Shore  Rocks    168 

Crags  Ten  Years  Later 261 

Crags  Veranda    263 

Croftleigh  House    ...  .40,  46,  64,  134 

Cromlech    House 40,  42,  114 

Cross  ways     152 

Cruelty  of  Wind  and  Wave 259 

Day  We  Raised  the  Roof Ill 

Dead    Calm    265 

Death  Throes    50 

Details   of   Husbandry 66 

Diagonal  Braced  Boarding 167 

Dining  Room,  Barreled  Ceiling.   180 

Dining  Room  Window 177 

Diving    163 

Diving   Pier    171,  256 

Diverse   Dives  of   Divers 255 

Dodo,  the  Glutton 12,  114 

Doggies    114 

Dogs   50 

Dogs  and  Their  Masters 151 

Dogs  of  High  Degree 20 

"Don't"    20 

Door  of  Hospitality 177 

Door  to  the  Loggia 177 

Drachenfels    142 

Drachenfels,       Billiard       Room, 

Fireplace    149 


Drachenfels,  Dining   Room    149 

East   Front    148 

Lawns  of    149 

North    Entrance    148 

South   Front    148 

Twelve-foot  Stair    149 

Each  Planned  to  Fit  the  Site...  42 

Ear-labeled    14 

East   Terrace  Entrance 4 

Easterly  on  the   Rocks 182 

Eaton's  Neck  196 

Edging  the  Sea 185 

Eighteen-foot  Wide  Bay 177 

Elementals    156 

Embowered  Farm  House 56 

Embracing  Trees   148 

English  Windows   172,  185 

Entering   the    Cave 204 

Entrance  Gate,  Summer    128 

Entrance  Gate,  Winter    128 

Entrance  Hall 200,  203 

Entrance  Hall   of    Pinnacle 210 

Entrance  to  Hillcrest  Farm  and 

Manor    128 

Entrance  to  Yacht    Pier    185 

Esplanade    181,  191 

Esplanade  Canopy   168 

Evening   16 

Expecting   Callers    12 

Exuberance   of   Youth 6 

Fairview    270 

Fallen  Grandeur  68 

Falls,  Boundary  of 64 

Falls,  Major    44,  50 

Falls  That   Really   Fall 64 

Farm  as  We  Found  It  and  How 

We   Changed   It 36 

Farm  Dooryard    54 

Farm  Hennery    114 

Farm  House    42 

Farm  House  and  Its  Next  Door 

Neighbor    44 

Farm  Lawn   21,  54 

Farm  Leaks    48 

Farm  Views    31,  36,  54,  70 

Farm  Warder    30 

Fifteen-foot  Doorway    279 

Fifty-foot   Dive    255 

Final    Stopping    Place 32 

Fireplace   with    Ten-foot    Eight- 
inch  Opening  187 

First  House  on  Water  Front...  253 
First  Steps  in  Building  Mania..  245 

First   Swimming  Lesson 256 

Fisher  Folk   271 

Fishing    286 

Fishing      from      the      Veranda 

Extension    202 

Fishing  in  Comfort 195 

Five  View  Points  on  the  Farm.     64 
Flagpole    201 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


XI 


Flames  Glowing  up  Chimney. . .  178 
Floor  Plans : 

Bellerica,       Crags,       Fairview, 
Tiny  Cote,  Tree  Top,  White 

Rock    269,  336 

Breezemont,  Buena  Vista,  Hill- 
crest  House,  Stony  Crest...  109 

Flying   Arch 176,  182,  185,  196 

Forces  Known  and  Unknown...  156 

Forest    Primeval 117 

Foundation  Work  for  Gazebo..  201 

Fountain    191 

Four  Seasons  on  the  Farm 30 

Freedom  of  the  Wild 276 

Frisky    182,  263 

From  Boat  to  Veranda 207 

From   Shack  to   Mansion 50 

From      Skeleton      to      Finished 

Product   166 

From  the  Ground  Upward 166 

Frontispiece :   Farm  as  We  Found 
It  and  How  We  Changed  Its 

Face   and   Sky  Line 

Frozen   Waves    280 

Furling    Sail    266 

Gables    42,  46,  113 

Gargoyle   Grotesque    177 

Gateway    165 

Gathering  and  Gathered  Storm..  280 

Gazebo,    Building   of 167,  195 

Geologist's  Paradise   206 

Georgian  Window  195 

Getting  under  Way 141 

Glanders  Consultation    8 

Glass    Walled    Room 234 

Glimpses  of  the   Sea 176 

Going,  Going,  Gone ! 255 

Grapery  Hot-bed  Sash 52 

Grip  of   Ice   King 171 

Grotto    168,  196,  202 

Grotto  Labyrinths    202 

Growing   from   Cliff 112 

Guarded  Doorway   186 

Guarded  Step   178 

Harbor  199 

Harbor  Entrance  205 

Harbor  View  159 

Hay  Barn  16 

Hay  Crop  48 

Haying  48 

Headed  for  the  Mooring 272 

Health  Building 260 

Heartsease  149,  192,  273 

Herd  of  Cattle 14 

Heydey  Days  263 

Hilarious  Artemus  24 

Hillcrest  Farm 4,  46,  54 

Hillcrest  Farm  and  Its  Nearest 

Neighbor  131 

Hillcrest,  the  Metamorphosed 

Farm    .  .137 


Hillcrest  House : 

Well     House,      Pergola,     and 

Greenhouse  125 

Arch,  and  Arch,  and  Arch 127 

Bold  Bare  Site  123 

Framing  Veranda   Roof 126 

Gardens 125 

Gym.  and  Porte  Cochere 92 

Men     Behind     Hammer     and 

Saw     123 

On  the   Stocks 123 

Stables   40 

Stone-  framed        Landscape 

Where    Seven   Arches    Meet  127 

Hot-bed  Sash   Greenhouse....  54 

Pergola    123 

Porte  Cochere  Fireplace 123 

Rushing  Work   126 

Site 120 

Skeleton   in   Veranda 

Squaring    the    Sills 126 

Steps    and    Caps    Are    Single 

Stones    123 

Hillcrest  House   

38,  46,  48,  106,  119,  121 

Hillcrest  House  Floor  Plans....  109 

Hilltop   38,  40,  46,  56,  105 

Hilltop  Floor  Plans 106 

Home    245 

Home  from  Nome    8 

Home  Greeter,  Double  A 28 

Home  of   the    Commoners 16 

Horse   Barn    17,  30 

Horse   Home   23 

House  Spacing    112 

House  That  Edged  a  Forest....  148 
House     That     Spanned     a     City 

Block    Ill 

House    That    Strolled    Inland...  32 
How     the     Unassuming     Acres 

Changed   Front   40 

How  We  Deadened  a  Floor 275 

Humble   Servitors    66 

Ice-bordered    Coast    Line 164 

Ice-bound    Coast    250 

Ice   Field    136 

Ice  Field  Out  of  Commission. 50,  65 

Ice  King's   Grip 17i 

Ice   Pond    16 

Ice-tied  Waters  253 

Icicled   Clothes   Line 286 

Igloo   12 

Indented   Platform    202 

Infancy,    Youth    and    Age 186 

Infront   and   Outfront   of    Crags  262 

Interior   Glass  Doors 178 

In    the    Shadow, — in    the    Sun- 
light—of Life 182 

Inspecting   the    Topsail 256 

Island  House   148,  150 

Island    Road    148 

January   Plunge    255 


XII 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Joy  of  the  Manse. 
Joy  Unconfined  . . . 
Joys  of  Farming... 


10 

10 

10 

Laddie   8,  260 

Laddie      Stood      for      Absolute 

Fealty   260 

Land  and  Water  Home 279 

Landing  at  the  Pier 176 

Land-locked  Harbor   196 

Land-locked  Motor  Boat  Lagoon  173 

Last  Boat   264 

Last  of  Thirty  Steps  in  Building  161 

Laundry  Tubs   194 

Lawn    165,  195 

Laze  of   the   Sea 266 

Leaves  of  Oaks  of  Mamre 82 

Leaving  Its  Century  Home 32 

Ledges    42,  46,  76,  140 

First  Framing   141 

Feudal  Tower   141 

Mediaeval   Slit   Window 141 

Ledge    Landing    Steps    at    Low 

Tide    192 

Left  by  the   Glacier 201 

Leo,  Warder  of  Farm  Gates ....  25 

Leviathan  Half   Buried 185 

Library     190 

Life 186 

Life's  Beginning  114 

Lightning    6 

Lightning,   the   Space   Conqueror  12 

Limpid    Pool    44 

Little   Mother    10 

Live  and  Dead  Waters 259 

Living   Hobby   Horse 20 

Living   Picture    20 

Living  Room,  East  Side 172 

Lofty   Entrance   Hall 177 

Log    Splitting    276 

Long  Way  from  Shore 256 

Lookout 280 

Lotus  Eating  Days  for  Lad  and 

Laddie    

Lower  Falls   56 

Low  Tide   181 

Maine   Coast  in   Connecticut....  253 

Making  a  Landing 173 

Manorial  and  in  Some  Features 

Baronial     143 

Man's  Combat  with  Nature 201 

Marooned    Clothes    Reel 272 

Marquee  on  Lawn 114 

Marquise    176,  185 

Mayflower  Cedar   258 

Meeting  the    Train 151 

Mediaeval   Stair    112 

Metamorphosed  Farm 50 

Mezzanine  Floor    178 

Mianus,   The    50 

Mianus  Rapids    56 

Midnight  Photo    280 

Mile   Off    Shore 256 

Milking  Time    14 


Million   Oysters    196 

Minstrels'  Balcony    177,  178 

Mirage  Rooms    170 

Modernized  Farm  House 136 

Mood    Antipodal    10 

Mooring    272 

Moorish  Castle   114 

Morning  Canter   10 

Motor  Boat  Cave    176 

Motor    Boat    Cave    under    Ver- 
anda      279 

Motor  That  Moved  the  House..     32 

Munyon    24,  30 

Murder    Will    Out 39 

Musicians'  Balcony    200 

Nearing  the  Wire 44 

Neil     165 

New  Arrival    114 

New  Entrance,  Looking  South..   128 
Nineteen  Steps  in  Building  Plus 

Eight   Steps  More 167 

No!   It's  a  Dog 151 

No    Pitfalls    256 

North   Front    165 

Not  an  Eyelash  Moved 10 

Now    285 

Number  Ten   255 

Oak  of  Two  and  One-half  Cen- 
turies       168 

Off!     181 

Off  for  Cape  Ann 18 

Off  for  School 18 

"On   Guard   To-Night"    196 

On  Mischief  Bent 253 

On  the  Beach . 198 

On    the     Shores     of     Time    and 

Long    Island    Sound 256 

Once  in  Twenty  Years 253 

One   Goal 256 

One  Invoice  of  Live  Stock 18 

One     of     the     Advantages      of 

Water  Front  Life   186 

One   Trio    20 

Open    Door    176 

Open  Sound  Front   160 

Orchard    50 

Original   Farm   House 36 

Our    Boats     266 

Our  First   Boat    264 

Outdoor  Bedroom    176 

Outfront    and    Infront 169 

Outlook  from  Farm 137 

Outside     Landing     Steps,     Pier 
and   Swimming  Pool    192 

Panel   along  Graffito  Lines 195 

Pastime  and  Labor  on  the  Farm  114 

Pasture  Bars   56 

Paul   Revere   Knocker 217 

Penny  a  Liner  to  a  Yacht 264 

Pergola   176,  185 

Pergolad  Clothes  Yard 191 

Perpendicular    255 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Pets  of  High  Degree 20 

Picknicing 192 

Picture  Window  173 

Pictured  Tale  of  a  Tail 28 

Pier  and  Landing  Steps 159 

Pier,   Lounging   Corner 184 

Piggery,  Outdoor   16 

Pin  Money    10,  26 

Pinnacle    210,  211 

Cellar    32 

East  Outer  Front    210 

West  Inner  Front   210 

Pinnacle    .Site    50 

Pinnacle,  the  House  Ideal 210 

Pioneer  Bungalowing    250,  268 

Placidity 50 

Play    Side   of    Farming 6 

Playing  at  Work 66 

Polishing  the  Grounds 42,  60 

Porch  Beamed  Ceiling 176 

Porch  Room    168,  172,  198 

Porch  Room,  South  and  West..  175 

Portable   House    253 

Porte  Cochere  50 

Posing    263 

Posts   Unscreened    70 

Posts   Wider  at  Top 147 

Primitive   Labor    Saver 123 

Princeton  Tiger    26 

Profitless   Scythe    48 

Racial    Divisions    196 

Rafting    286 

Rain  Coming  56 

Raising   Old   Glory 176 

Rapids  of  the  Mianus 50 

Reaching   for  the  Goal 181 

Ready  for  Calking  Iron 272 

Ready   for  the   Curtains 52 

Red   Towers,    Conservatory 76 

Red  Towers    46,  153 

Responsibility    10 

Restcliff    250,  252 

Restful  Work   196 

Ribs  of  Wreck 280 

Robins'    Nest    on    the    Mowing 

Knives    56 

Rock-ribbed   Shore    267 

Rock  Esplanade   181 

Rough  Landing  Spot 280 

Roughed-out   Pier    285 

Rugged  Lee  Shore 250 

Rugged   Stone  Walls 123 

Sailing  the  Deep  Blue  Sea 265 

Scant  Headway    266 

Scoop   Dive    279 

Scudding  to  Harbor 263 

Sea    Boulders    274,  278,  279 

Built  Over  the  Sea 278 

Inglenook    278 

Northeast   Front    278 

Ship-kneed  Brackets   278 

Sea  Boulder  Chimney  Building..  275 


Second   Step  in  Building  Mania  246 

Seedling  Pound  Apple  Tree 54 

Seeing  One's   Self 296 

Self-sufficiency  of   Youth 255 

Servants'  Entrance    202 

Servants'  Stair   192 

Service  Gate    165,  191,  201 

Service   Gate,   Outward 205 

Service  Path    201 

Shacks   Edging  Break-neck  Hill     50 

Shaded  Breeze  Point 195 

Shadow   Pictures    256 

Sheltered  Harbor   164,  186 

Sheltered   Lagoon    179 

Shelving   Beach    202 

Ship-kneed   Brackets  275 

Ship-shape    266 

Shore  Front  of   Restcliff 285 

Shore  Rocks    209 

Shore  Rocks,  Floor  Plan 162 

Shore  Rocks   Site 160,  163 

Shoulder  Pet  18 

Shower    185 

shrub   and   Tree   Growth 4 

Siamese  Twins   256 

Silo  and  Cattle  Barn 56 

Single  Door  203 

Single  Door,  7x9 191 

Siren  in  Apple  Orchard 40 

Site  of  Shore  Rocks 263 

Sitting  on' the  Ribs  of  Wreck..  280 

Sleeping  Porch   

170,  176,  177,  178,  194 

Solid   Balustrade    185 

Soon  to  Leave  Home 20 

Southwest  Corner    196 

S.  O.   S 202 

Somersaulting    6 

Spaced  to  Avoid  Conflict 48 

Spot  8,  67 

Staircase  Hall    197,  203 

Staircase  Hall  of  Pinnacle 210 

Stairway  Twenty  Feet  Wide....   190 

Step  from  Veranda  to  Deck 195 

Steps   in    Building 52 

Steps   to  the    Beach 186 

Steps  to  the  Yacht  Pier 186 

Still  and  Quick  Life 285 

Still  Life    151 

Stilts  50 

Stirring  the  Waters 285 

Stone  and  Wood  Skeleton 127 

Stone  Arch    201 

Stone  Barriers    30 

Stone  Bulwark   182 

Stone    Flower    Cup    201 

Stone  Framed  Landscape 119 

Stonehenge    130 

Stone    Pillar    201 

Stone   Shark    259 

Stonycrest    40,  42,  46,  70 

First  Year. 

Fifth  Year. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Stonycrest  Addition    108 

Construction     108 

Floor    Plans    109,  110 

Details    Ill 

Ingle    52 

Finished     151 

Storm-beaten  Undercliff 259 

Storm    King    42,  46,  129 

Storm    King's    Architect 114 

Studio  Window    177 

Study  in  Rock  Formation 181 

Summer    Idyl    266 

Summer    Stream    67 

Summer  Tent    12 

Swimming  Goal    181 

Swimming  Pool   207 

Swinging     the     Compass     from 

North  to  South 143 

Swirling,  Half-frozen  Waters...     64 
Swirling   Rapids    44,  70 

Take  Us  Off 186 

Taromina  264 

Taurus  16 

Temporary  Visitor 6 

Ten  Feet  of  Icicles ;  Ten  Feet 

of  Verdure  298 

Tenderfoot  12 

Tennysonian  Roof  117 

Things  That  Happened  to  the 

Farm  46 

Thoroughbreds  12 

Three  of  the  Changes 38 

Three  Type  Veranda 298 

Three  Worlds  279 

Tigers  of  Three  Degrees 265 

Tiled  Roof  and  Sides  of  Red 

Towers  76 

Tiled  Yacht  Pier 179,  181 

Tiny  Cote  258 

Tobogganing  6 

"Too  Small"  (Cot) 60 

Topsy,  Horse  of  Courage 18,  56 

Topsy  Turvying  Nature  44 

To  the  Gazebo 202 

Training  for  Wild  West  Show..  8 

Tree  and  Shrub  Growth 107 

Tree  Growing  through  Veranda  298 

Tree  Room  192 

Treeless  286 

Treeless  Knoll  106 

Tudor  Arch  176,  182,  195 

"Turn  In,  the  Water's  Fine" 256 

Twelve-foot  Stairway  145 

Twin  Chimneys  142,  148 

Two  and  One-half  Centuries...  256 

Two  Colonels  8 

Two  Hundred  and  Twenty-five 

Windows     166 


Two-mile   Floral  Border 44,  54 

Two  of  Our  Bungalows 279 

Under    Full    Headway 32 

Underbill   House    76 

Under  the  Apple  Blossoms 114 

Unhappy   Family    20 

United    Family    114 

Upper  Balcony   173,  174,  176 

Utilizing  Stone   \Valls Ill 

Vacation    8 

Varied  Action  186 

Veranda  186 

Viburnum    Plicatum    56 

View  from  Gazebo 185 

View   from   Heartsease 192 

View   of   the   Offing 202 

View  Through  Sea  Boulders....  275 

Vine-screened  Ice  House 114 

Waiting  at  the  Gate 6 

Wash  Day  at  the  Cot 6 

Wayside     12,  18,  30,  32,  76 

Well    10 

Well,   What's  Wanted 20 

West  End   of   Pier 184 

West    Front 167,  169 

Western   Slope    16 

What  the  Years  Brought 165 

\Vhen  Golf  Was  Young 50 

When  Man  Was  Young 201 

Where      Some     of     the      Storm 

Waves  Landed    141 

Whimbrel    265 

White   Fanged  Waves 201 

White   Rock    158,  250 

Wide  Door  of  Hospitality 203 

Wide  Veranda    147 

Wildwood   Lodge   Foundation. 52,  64 

Winding  Stairs   143 

Windows   and   Doors 177 

Winter  Torrent    68 

Wireless  Pole   201 

Wireless  Room  178 

Wireless    Station    179 

W.   L.   S 259 

Wonder  Treb   78,  151 

Woodland    148 

Woodsy   Drive    52 

Working  Out   Interior   Details..   177 

Yachtsman's    Shelter    159 

Yearly   Cruises    267 

"Yes,  It's  a  House" 60 

Young  Life    266 

Youthful  Prowess   8 


FOREWORD 


"Oh,  .  .  .  that  mine  adversary  had  written  a  book." 

TO  that  man  "whose  heart  within  him  burns"  to  build,  as  well 
as  own,  his  own  roof-tree,  the  following  record  may  be  of 
interest.  It  is  composed,  with  not  over  a  dozen  exceptions,  of 
features  used  by  the  author  in  his  thirty-five  years'  experience 
in  country  living  and  building,  including  the  transformation  of 
a  rough  farm  into  a  residential  park  at  an  expense  aggregating 
over  one  million  dollars. 

An  endeavor  has  been  made  to  give  concrete  information 
in  compact,  easily  handled  form,  needed  by  the  layman,  and  to  lead 
the  reader  from  shack  to  mansion,  through  the  intermediates  of  plat- 
form tented  camp,  bungalow,  ordinary  country  house,  and  elaborate 
villa.  Even  many  of  the  features  used  in  Pinnacle,  the  "House  Ideal," 
can  be  adapted  to  and  made  serviceable  in  less  expensive  houses. 

The  thousand  and  more  original  photographs  include  country 
living  in  many  of  its  phases,  different  stages  of  building,  and  emphasize 
improvement  in  the  year  by  year  growth  of  tree  and  shrub. 

A  treatise  on  the  making  of  a  real  country  place  must  be  inclu- 
sive. One  member  of  a  family  may  be  interested  in  the  building 
of  a  bungalow,  another  desires  an  elaborate  villa  and  a  knowledge 
of  the  construction  of  both.  A  third  turns  only  to  the  pages  that 
treat  of  the  two  mile  arboretum  strip  of  trees,  shrubs,  and  flowers, 
while  a  fourth  loves  dogs,  horses,  and  cattle,  and  another's  realm  of 
happiness  is  represented  by  birds  and  butterflies.  The  girls'  and  boys' 
Nirvana  ranges  from  a  real  planned  and  pictured  playhouse  to  pets — 
chipmunks  and  turtles;  lambs  and  Shetlands — and  from  tobogganing 
and  snow  house  building  to  stunts  in  boating  and  bathing,  while  the 
family  as  a  whole  are  interested  in  a  safe  and  sane  plan  to  gain  a 
competence. 

The  question  asked  by  many  seekers  after  country  life,  "Can  I 
make  my  little  farm  pay,  or  what  proportion  of  the  expense  will  it 
carry,"  is  answered  from  experience,  and  a  way  is  shown  for  the  city 
clerk  with  a  comparatively  modest  income  to  become  independent 
within  ten  years. 

The  indices  of  text  and  illustrations  are  intended  to  give  a  fairly 
complete  synopsis  in  a  ten  minute  perusal  of  the  subject  matter  of 
"How  to  Make  a  Country  Place",  which  includes  hints  on  amateur 
farming,  horticulture,  villa  and  bungalow  building,  and  general 
country  development,  as  attempted  by  an  amateur. 

It  is  hoped  that  some  who  have  never  built  will  be  sufficiently 
interested  to  join,  the  ranks  of  those  Progressives  to  whom  certain 
solons  (?)  of  the  race  quote  with  sardonic  joy  that  proverb  of  the  pessi- 
mist, "Fools  build  for  the  wise." 


XVI 


HILLCREST  FARM 


THE  OLD  FARM  HOUSE  THAT  QUEENED 
OUR  ORIGINAL  ACREAGE. 


AFTER  IT  WAS  MODERNIZED. 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY 

PLACE 


CHAPTER  I. 


THE     FARM — REMODELING     THE     FARM      HOUSE — HYGIENE — 

WATER  SUPPLY — SEWAGE — FARM  LAWN — ANIMALS — THE 

DAIRY — POULTRY — BEES — STAR  GAZING. 

FROM  cliff  dwelling  to  tilling  the  soil  was  a  long  leap,  but 
when  made  enabled  me  to  give  full  sway  to  the  building  mania 
which  asserted  itself  when  I  purchased  "Our  Farm,"  though  we 
owned  it  several  years  before  development  wras  well  under  way. 

When  farming  loomed  as  an  Eldorado,  I  interviewed  Dr.  Hexa- 
mer  of  the  American  Agriculturist  as  to  his  opinion  of  the  money- 
making  possibilities  for  the  amateur  farmer,  and  he  frankly  gave 
his  advice.  Whether  favorable  or  otherwise  the  reader  shall  judge, 
but  I  proceeded  to  farm,  as  Shakespeare  puts  it,  "in  my  salad  days 
when  I  was  green." 

Here  is  the  old  farm  house  that  queened  the  seventy-two 
acres  of  my  first  purchase,  afterward  increased  by  buying  adjacent 
farms  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  undulating  land,  rocky  knoll 
and  wooded  cliffside,  bordering  a  swiftly  coursing  river.  Here,  too, 
are  the  modernized  farm  house,  the  hay,  horse  and  cattle  barns,  silo, 
paddocks  and  gardens,  the  arboretum  and  the  new  entrance.  In 
fact,  the  photographs  show  some  things  that  happened  to  those  modest, 
unassuming  acres  during  the  run  of  the  building  fever. 

A  red  letter  day  was  our  first  day  of  ownership  of  Hillcrest 
Farm.  The  deed  had  been  recorded  by  the  town  clerk;  I  was  a 
landed  proprietor,  and  seemed  to  breathe  more  deeply  as  the  vision 
of  farm  ownership  became  a  reality. 

The  Fallacious  Nightmare  Mortgage. 

After  the  recording  of  the  first  paper  came  the  filing  of  the 
second,  the  mortgage,  that  nightmare  of  the  average  farmer,  but 
which,  after  all,  if  rightly  placed  and  the  interest  promptly  met, 
is  but  a  temporary  bugbear,  and  can  and  should  be  made  a  stepping- 
stone  to  final  independence.  If  your  loan  is  a  safe  one  the  Savings 
i  Bank  is  generally  as  anxious  to  get  it  as  you  are  to  make  it. 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

The  farm  house  was  picturesquely  located,  but  not  easily  altered, 
though  we  spent  upward  of  five  thousand  dollars  in  the  attempt,  only 
to  find  that  the  old  house  was  an  old  house  still. 

For  instance,  when  the  wind  blew,  windows  rattled  distractingly 
until  a  wiseacre  visitor  suggested  wooden  wedges  at  the  end  of  short 
chains  fastened  to  the  trim  of  each  window. 

Remodeling  the  Farm  House. 

Living  in  an  old  or  remodeled  house  gives  an  opportunity 
for  thinking  up  makeshifts  and  utilizing  space.  More  room  for 
books  in  the  narrow  library  was  obtained  by  extending  bookshelves 
over  the  window  tops,  also  into  a  chimney  jog.  Finding  the  old 
house  difficult  to  heat,  we  discovered  that  a  hinged  wooden  cover, 
tightly  padded  with  felt  at  all  edges,  and  balanced  by  window  weights, 
closing-in  the  attic  stairway,  prevented  heat  from  escaping  to  that 
unused  quarter  of  the  house — an  unrailed  attic  stair  opening,  a  lighted 
kerosene  lamp,  a  heedless  step,  once  presaged  dire  calamity.  In  a 
corner  of  the  sitting  room  closet  a  trap  door  and  ladder  steps  made  a 
short  cut  to  the  furnace  and  cellar  wood  pile.  Perhaps  some  of  the 
devices  were  "skimble  scamble,"  but  they  made  for  comfort. 

Kitchen  and  Pantries. 

The  preference  was  for  a  small  kitchen  and  large  pantries,  so 
we  galleyed  the  range  end  of  the  big  farm  house  kitchen  and  lessened 
the  tramp  across  it  to  the  dining  room  by  building  a  ceiled-in  butler's 
pantry  which  also  aided  in  confining  kitchen  odors  and  clatter  to 
that  part  of  the  house.  In  one  corner  of  the  room  was  hinged  a 
drop  shelf,  and  another  along  one  side  wall,  while  a  cooking  table 
fitted  with  convenient  under  shelf  journeyed  easily  across  the  room 
on  ball-bearing  casters.  Many  a  step  to  the  housekeeping  pantry 
was  saved  by  a  cupboard  of  translucent  glass  in  the  lower  sash  of 
a  north  window.  Two  windows  placed  on  opposite  sides  of  the 
food  storage  pantry  quickly  forced  through  it  the  ordinarily  stagnant 
air  of  midsummer.  That  extra  window  owed  us  nothing,  as  it 
cheated  the  sour  microbe  out  of  many  a  meal.  Shelves  in  this  pantry 
were  of  slate.*  Both  pantry  and  kitchen  sinks  were  broad  and  fairly 
deep,  lessening  breakage,  and  set  five  inches  higher  than  usual, 
with  draining  boards  extra  wide  and  long.  One  defaced  copper  sink 
we  put  in  fine  condition,  even  for  hot  water  use,  by  a  coat  of  prepared 
aluminum  paint.  Walls  and  floor  shone  with  linoleum  in  one  pattern 
of  light  shade. 

The  range  was  inset  with  a  metal  flap  twelve  inches  wide 
that  crossed  its  upper  front  close  to  ceiling  line  and  formed  a  hood 
and  started  heat  and  odors  chimneyward.  A  fireless  cooker  was 
a  helpful  cog  in  the  kitchen  machinery. 

#A  domesticated  toad  for  two  years  lived  in  a  dark  corner  of  ihe  cellar  pantry  and  made 
a  "clean  sweep"  of  roach,  water  bug,  and  fly  and  beat  pussy  at  driving  away  the  elusive  mouse. 


VANDALIZING  THE  REVERED  PAST  3 

n. 

A  kitchen  settle  not  only  settled,  but  tabled;  it  also  stored  coal 
and  kindling.  One  broad  settle,  its  cover  seat  securely  hasped,  was 
filled  with  cord  wood  through  a  hinged  panel  in  the  house  wall. 

A  force  pump  in  the  kitchen  connected  with  the  well  had  a  shut- 
off  valve,  enabling  one  to  pump  directly  into  the  caraffe  instead  of  the 
up-attic,  planished  copper-lined  tank  installed  in  case  of  accident  to 
the  ram.  A  water  pipe  over  the  range  conveniently  filled  wash  boiler 
and  kettle. 

Room  of  Comfort. 

A  practical  makeshift,  for  not  always  did  our  out-of-a-rut  inno- 
vations hit  the  bull's  eye,  was  to  place  the  range  hot  water  boiler  flat- 
wise in  a  pokehole  jog  under  the  eaves  adjoining  a  bathroom.  This 
jog  was  asbestos-lined,  and  its  whole  front  hinged  with  double  doors 
that  could  be  hooked  back  to  the  side  wall,  making  the  bathroom 
synonym  of  comfort. 

Heating. 

One  experiment  was  a  Baltimore  heater,  while  another  was  to 
utilize  the  kitchen  range  by  using  an  additional  hot  water  back  appli- 
ance connected  by  pipes  and  radiators  with  a  small  open  safety 
expansion  tank  in  the  attic.  A  third  was  a  perforated  sleeve  and 
radiator  drum  surrounding  the  galvanized  smoke  flue  that,  protected 
at  the  floors  by  soapstone  collars,  entered  the  chimney  high  under  the 
attic  ridge.  An  ell  room  was  heated  by  the  unhygienic  oxygen  eating 
oil  stove,  but  placed  within  a  specially  built  sheet  iron  cylinder  stove, 
flue  connected ;  another  was  heated  and  ventilated  by  an  oil  lamp 
treated  in  like  manner. 
Vandalizing  the  Revered  Past.* 

Substantial  oak  beam  and  girder  construction  made  it  possible 
to  remove  partitions,  cut  through  doorways,  inset  bookshelves,  and 
cupboards  in  plastered  walls,  change  stair  openings,  etc.,  without 
regard  to  consequences,  all  radical  improvements  made  at  trifling 
cost — convincing  proof  that  destruction  is  easier  than  construction. 
With  bars  once  lowered  for  the  entrance  of  minor  improvements 
big  ones  speedily  elbowed  their  way  to  the  fore. 

While  the  carpenters  were  ripping  into  the  farm  house  fore  and 
aft,  we  increased  the  area  of  the  small  dining  room  by  still  farther 
thefts  from  the  kitchen.  Sufficient  of  the  wall  was  torn  through  to 
inset  a  sideboard  and  coal  and  wood  cupboard,  the  latter  serving 
also  as  a  kitchen  shelf,  while  a  large  bay  window  thrown  out  to 
the  north  revealed  a  cattle  yard,  but  it  had  to  be,  as  it  facili- 
tated "waitin*  on  table."  Even  Spot,  the  fox  terrier,  and  Angora 
Aurea,  the  only  cat,  shared  in  the  improvements,  as  a  lower  panel  of 

*The  farm  house  was  built  along  the  lines  of  those  old  houses  of  the  late  17th  and  early 
18th  centuries  that  sometimes  required  three  years  to  build,  when  the  8  x  12  and  12  x  16 
beams  and  girts  were  cut  in  the  woods  and  sledded  in  winter  to  the  site  and  at  leisure  adzed 
into  shape.  All  spikes,  nails,  and  pegs  were  hand  wrought  and  later  a  neighborhood  raising 
whipped  the  new  house  into  line. 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THE    EAST    TERRACE 


THE  FARM  HOUSE,  OUTBUILDINGS,  AND  APPROACH 


BOX  GREENERY  WINDOW  5 

the  dining  room  door  was  so  adjusted  that  they  could  come  and  go 
at  will. 

The  Keeping  Room. 

It  had  long  been  our  ambition  to  have  an  old-fashioned  keeping 
room,  and  we  tried  it  in  the  farm  house.  It  was  equipped  with 
the  usual  urn-crowned  corner  cupboards,  in  the  main  peopled  with 
mementoes  and  reminders  of  Revolutionary  days.  The  wainscoting 
came  from  an  old  Colonial  house  we  had  ruthlessly  torn  from  its  two 
hundred  year  old  anchorage.  That  wainscot  had  never  clashed  with 
a  paint  brush,  and  frequent  holy-stonings  by  gude  dame  and  house- 
maid had  effected  a  satin  polish. 

A  double  floor  in  two  and  one-half  inch  widths  was  laid  on  the 
first  story  for  warmth.  Less  width,  less  shrinkage. 

Inexpensive  chair  rails  and  picture  moldings  prevented  injury 
to  plastered  walls  and  served  as  members  in  the  dado  and  frieze  scheme 
in  dining  room  and  library. 

A  low  ceiling  (high  ceilings  do  not  necessarily  mean  pure  air, 
location  of  air  inlet  and  outlet  is  the  essential)  made  a  short  climb, 
but  the  crooked,  cramped  turn  in  the  stairway  forced  ungainly  fur- 
niture to  travel  through  a  window. 

We  planned  a  first  floor  bedroom  for  which  convenience  calls  in 
most  farm  houses,  and  altered  the  conventional  parlor  into  a  studio-den. 

A  monastery  sawbuck  table  with  ebonized  oak  plank  top  har- 
monized with  the  long  narrow  dining  room,  and  was  easily  dis- 
mantled when  additional  space  was  needed  for  dances  or  games. 

Chimney  breasts  in  several  rooms  we  cemented,  and  while  yet 
moist  imprinted  with  a  butter  mold,  perpetrating  the  same  radical- 
ism in  the  den,  the  effect  rendered  more  startling  by  sprinkling  the 
design  while  still  wet  with  a  mixture  of  gold,  silver,  and  bronze 
powder.  To  balance  the  roof  line  and  save  a  gable  window  on  the 
second  story  a  chimney  was  supported  on  trolley  irons  which  crossed 
attic  floor  beams.  A  fireplace  outside  a  chimney  breast  was  thus 
carried. 

Upstairs  we  again  gleefully  lapsed  to  the  antique.  The  original 
wide  floor  boards,  kiln  dried  by  Father  Time  for  full  two  centuries, 
were  firmly  nailed  down,  old  tacks  removed,  cracks  and  nail  holes 
either  calked,  white-leaded,  or  puttied,  and  the  beautiful  grain  of 
wood  brought  out  by  sand-papering,  filling,  waxing  and  polishing. 
When  that  second  floor  was  furnished  with  round  and  elliptical  rugs 
(with  rubber  bands  sewed  on  the  under  side  to  keep  them  from  slip- 
ping), high  posters  with  canopied  testers,  bed  steps,  lowboys,  and 
eagle-crowned  gilt  mirrors,  our  ennuied  city  guest  slept  in  another 
and  far  more  restful  world. 

Box  Greenery  Window. 

Plants  were  banished  from  all  sleeping  rooms,  but  a  bay  in  the 
morning  room  made  a  bower  of  bloom,  and  in  the  south  sewing  room, 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


COMrtEMCEMEMT"/  HOSTILITIES 


PLAY  SIDE   OF   FARMING. 


MIASMATIC   CELLARS  7 

supported  by  heavy  wooden  brackets,  a  box-greenery-window  pro- 
jected about  eighteen  inches  from  the  house  line,  imprisoning  a  bit 
of  the  June  of  garden,  wood,  and  field  the  entire  year. 

In  putting  on  a  new  roof,  the  garret  was  heightened  two  feet ; 
extra  expense  light,  but  comfort  greater  in  that  "brain  room  of  the 
world." 

Pent  eaves  shaded  one  row  of  second  story  windows  and  broke 
the  stiff  high  wall  line,  and  carved  barge  or  verge  boards  edged  the 
gables. 

The  Outshot. 

One  old  time  and  attractive  external  feature,  the  long  tobog- 
gan roof  of  the  "outshot,"  reached  from  the  ridge  to  within  six  feet 
of  the  ground. 

The  wide  verandas  we  built  on  the  south,  east  and  west  added 
vastly  to  comfort,  while  the  staircase  hall  tacked  to  the  southeast 
corner  and  ceiled  to  the  peak  made  a  more  suitable  entrance,  at  the 
same  time  affording  a  fine  background  for  pictures,  Fiji  Island  spears, 
boarding  pikes  from  a  privateer  of  1812,  a  sword  fish,  a  pair  of  snow 
shoes,  and  other  remnants  of  a  collecting  fever  which  at  one  time 
included  stamps,  coins,  autographs  and  curios.  Never  again,  how- 
ever, will  we  misuse  a  glorious  southern  exposure  for  entrance  and 
hall,  or  wood-ceil  an  interior  instead  of  plastering  it.  We  plead 
guilty  to  having  installed  lightning  rods,  finials,  iron  cresting,  and  a 
weather  vane. 

A  couple  of  windows  were  unfortunately  set  diamond-wise 
in  the  staircase  hall.  Other  transformations  included  three  bal- 
conies, that  meant  sun  and  air-bathed  bedding  and  raiment,  as 
well  as  occasional  naps  in  the  open  above  the  second  story  country 
dust  line — just  one-tenth  of  the  twenty  stories  it  generally  takes  in 
the  city  to  banish  the  duster.  One  of  these  balconies  served  as 
an  outdoor  bedroom,  another  for  a  lookout  close  to  the  chimney  top, 
(which,  by  the  way,  was  flat  stone-capped  to  make  it  draw  better, 
instead  of  flaunting  aloft  that  libel  against  good  taste,  a  cowl-capped 
zinc-swiveled  chimney  pot)  and  the  third  as  a  sun  parlor. 

The  old  rule  of  the  house  painter  of  painting  every  third  year  the 
exterior  and  every  seventh  the  interior  we  smithereened  by  giving 
the  exterior  trim  a  coat  of  oil  between  times.  In  this  way  the  out- 
side paint  lasted  five  years,  and  as  the  interior,  aside  from  rooms  fin- 
ished in  white  enamel,  was  treated  with  non-odorous  stain,  polished, 
and  rubbed  down,  we  needed  no  cast  iron  rule. 

Miasmatic  Cellars. 

Many  changes  were  made  in  the  cellar.  The  milk  storage 
excavation,  directly  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  we  at  once  filled  in,  pre- 
venting a  second  tumble.  A  brick  cistern  holding  at  times  stagnant 
unaerated  rain  water  was  demolished,  wThen,  whisper  it  lightly,  no 
less  than  a  half  dozen  rat  skeletons,  a  defunct  cat  and  some  kittens 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


FIRST  STEPS  OP  THE-  COUS-CV&  TUU,  BACK 


L 


SPOT-  THfc-  UM  COW  ABLE-  UHWH1PPABLE.  VWDRIVABLE' 
TfOUTHPUL  TPROWE-SS 


VACATION. 


UNFAILING  WATER  SUPPLY  9 

were  found.  We  built  another  cistern  outside  underground,  dividing 
it  unequally  by  a  brick  wall.  Entering  the  smaller  compartment,  par- 
tially packed  with  charcoal,  the  water  gradually  percolated  through 
the  wall  into  the  larger,  giving  us  the  best  sort  of  filtered  soft  water, 
uncontaminated  by  soil  impurities,  roofs  and  cypress  gutters  being 
left  unstained  by  creosote  and  kept  scrupulously  clean.  Leader 
connections  for  convenient  cleansing  were  placed  close  to  an  attic 
window,  protected  by  wire  leaf  guards,  the  spout  pipe  for  two 
feet  flaring  out  four  inches  where  it  connected  with  the  gutter.  In 
order  to  thoroughly  flush  the  roof  before  using  the  c  stern,  a  two-foot 
spout  section  near  the  ground  sniveled  at  will.  In  a  downpour  ten 
minutes  of  diverted  roof  washings  gave  us  pure  cistern  water.  A 
crimped  spout  prevented  ice  splitting  but  was  not  as  easily  cared  for. 
The  cellar  was  first  underdrained  from  without  and  within,  floor 
dug  over,  soil  removed,  and  clean  gravel  substituted,  then  grouted 
and  cemented  and  ceiling  tarred  and  whitewashed  to  diminish 
fire  risk,  increased  of  course  by  the  presence  of  tar.  Side  walls 
and  floors  were  also  tarred,  the  surface  being  roughened  to 
hold  a  finishing  coat  of  cement,  outside  walls  and  footing  courses 
cemented  and  tarred,  and  tile  laid  at  the  base.  Let  everything 
go  until  that  cellar  is  thoroughly  revamped.  You  will  naturally 
co-operate  with  vegetation  to  purify  the  grounds  about  the  back  door 
where  the  kitchen  drain  has  been  pouring  out  dish  water  and 
refuse  for  a  hundred  years  and  more,  but  five  chances  to  one  you  will 
ignore  the  condition  of  the  cellar,  and  agree  with  the  sophistry  of 
the  forehanded  farmer  who  sells  you  the  property  when  he  says 
that  "the  dirt  floor  is  grand  to  keep  vegetables,  cider  and  milk 
in  prime  condition."  If  the  money  you  have  is  a  mere  pit- 
tance, spend  it  on  the  cellar.  In  a  word,  drain  and  cement  it  inside 
and  out,  thus  eliminating  all  foul,  germ-laden  air  and  matter ;  put 
in  more  and  larger  windows,  double  sashing  for  winter  if  need  be, 
instead  of  boarding  and  banking  up  with  sill-decaying  leaves  and 
barn-yard  refuse,  in  warm  days  rapid  breeders  of  vermin.  Make  the 
cellar  as  spick  and  span  as  the  kitchen  and  you  have  won  your  first 
round  in  the  battle  against  disease  and  ill  health  and  outgeneraled, 
if  only  for  the  nonce,  the  white  horse  and  his  spectral  rider.  The 
cemetery  fills  rapidly  enough  without  using  as  an  additional  feeder  a 
miasma-breeding  cellar. 

Unfailing  Water  Supply. 

One  of  the  major  requisites  in  country  living  is  an  ample  water 
supply,  especially  where  much  stock  is  carried.  Hand  pumps,  gaso- 
line engines,  compressed  air  tanks  and  windmills  all  have  limitations, 
an  electric  pump,  the  ideal  power,  was  out  of  the  question,  but  the 
only  alternative,  the  hydraulic  ram,  proved  a  complete  success  from 
the  start.  Water  was  pushed  by  the  drive  pipe  through  the  delivery 
pipe  a  distance  of  one  thousand  feet  and  raised  about  one  hundred 


10  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


A  UTTLE  nOTHER 


.TOYS   OF   FARMING. 


THE  PERPETUAL  MOTION  MACHINE  11 

feet,  pipes  protected  from  frost  where  they  entered  house,  barn  and 
outbuildings,  and  we  had  water  in  abundance  both  summer  and 
winter  at  practically  no  cost  after  the  expense  of  installation. 

Nearest  Approach  to  a  Perpetual  Motion  Machine. 

The  ram,  a  small  affair  a  few  inches  square  and  less  than  twenty- 
five  pounds  in  weight,  was  sunk  in  a  dry,  frost-proof  well  only  eight 
feet  deep  on  a  side  hill,  hence  easily  underdrained  to  get  rid  of 
surplus  water,  a  greater  fall,  we  found,  exerted  too  much  pressure  on 
the  mechanism.  This  and  the  little  reservoir  about  a  dozen  feet 
square  and  three  feet  deep  were  covered  with  planks  and  heaped 
with  straw  or  weeds  for  winter  protection.  Though  we  received  at 
the  buildings  with  our  lay-out  less  than  one-tenth  of  the  water  tuat 
passed  through  the  pipes  feeding  the  ram  it  proved  more  than  suffi- 
cient and  shared  honors  with  the  five  per  cent,  mortgage  on  the  farm, 
that  worked  day  and  night.  House  and  barn  tanks  and  cattle 
troughs  were  always  full  and  the  overflow  formed  a  safe  shallow 
skating  rink  for  the  children  in  winter  and  a  duckling  pond  in  sum- 
mer, at  one  end  of  the  roomy  wire  fence-enclosed  poultry  yard,  and 
the  shallow  water  eased  a  bit  the  flurry  and  worry  of  the  foster 
mother  hen.  If  the  supply  of  water  is  small  and  the  surplus  has 
sufficient  fall,  parallel  lines  can  be  laid  starting  from  lower  levels. 
There's  hardly  a  farm  worthy  the  name  that  cannot  have  at  moderate 
cost  a  continual  water  supply  without  help  of  the  exhausting  pump 
handle  which  should  only  be  used  to  draw  for  drinking  purposes 
delicious  cold  water  from  that  rock-dug  well  that,  like  pure  butter 
and  milk,  is  the  stock  boast  of  the  average  farmer.*  New  valves 
every  two  years  costing  but  a  trifle  were  the  only  expense. 

The  water  pipe  connected  with  the  refrigerator,  and  the  ice  rested 
on  a  coil  of  quarter-inch  pipe,  thus  supplying  hygienic  ice  water. 
Refrigerator  drainage  dripped  into  a  dry  well  instead  of  a  sewer  gas- 
packed  cesspool. 

Sanitary  Sewage  System. 

What  to  do  with  sewage  at  first  puzzled  us,  as  it  does  everyone 
in  like  surroundings.  The  solution  was  sanitary  cesspools,  made  as 
follows. 

A  water-tight  stone  and  cement  tank  five  feet  square  and  six 
feet  deep  had  two  compartments,  with  overflow  pipe  controlled  by 
ball  and  cock  and  protected  in  a  frost-proof  mound.  The  valve 
opened  automatically,  and  the  liquid  contents  of  the  second  com- 
partment discharged  into  three  blind  drains  each  about  one  hundred 
feet  long,  placed  two  feet  below  the  grass  roots  in  an  orchard 
which  sloped  toward  the  west,  thus  escaping  many  a  nipping  frost. 
The  main  compartment  was  cleaned  each  winter,  and  copperas  or 

*On  one  of  our  farms  we  installed  a  double  action  ram,  using  the  muddy  water  of  a 
running  brook  to  force  pure  spring  water  to  house  and  barns. 


12 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


DODO 

the. 

GlUTTOrt 
only 

BIT 
FOOD 


THE  SUMMER  TETVT 


THOROUGHBREDS. 


CONQUEST  OF  SEWAGE  DANGERS  13 

some  other  disinfectant  thrown  in  lavishly,  though  it  often  seemed 
unnecessary,  so  well  did  the  system  work  in  connection  with  our  house 
plumbing,  which,  as  well  as  the  cesspool,  was  thoroughly  back-aired, 
and  stood  perfectly  the  peppermint  medicine  poured  down  the 
throated  pipes  to  ascertain  sewer  gas  conditions.  This  was  done  every 
six  months,  the  day  we  paid  the  bank  interest  on  the  mortgage.  The 
connecting  pipe  was  iron  instead  of  tile. 

Years  afterward  in  a  Sound  front  cottage  we  installed  the  same 
style  of  cement  tank  with  a  two-inch  overflow  pipe  extending  well  into 
the  Sound,  and  controlled  by  a  gate-valve.  Once  a  week,  at  night  on 
the  outgoing  tide,  opening  the  valve  for  an  hour  emptied  the  water 
sewage  tank,  and  the  other  compartment  was  cleaned  in  the  winter, 
as  on  the  hill.  This  system  proved  simple,  safe,  sane,  sanitary  and 
successful. 

Conquest  of  Sewage  Danger. 

From  the  time  when  our  English  ancestors  hibernated  like  bears  in 
a  round  neolithic  pennpit,  and  later  when  king  and  churl  alike  dug 
open  sewers  in  the  floors  of  their  dwellings,  unto  the  dawn  of  modern 
conveniences  when  insanitary  plumbing  forced  deadly  sewer  gas  into 
the  blood,  men,  like  ripened  grain,  have  fallen  unnecessarily  by  the 
million  before  the  steel  of  the  "grim  reaper."  Yet  through  all  these 
years  of  self  destruction,  at  man's  elbow,  but  tongue  tied,  stood  the 
twin  servitors,  aerobic  and  anaerobic,  minute  organisms,  anxious  to 
purify  his  home,  throttle  burning  fevers  and  lengthen  his  life.  Har- 
nessed for  the  first  time  in  the  nineteenth  century,  they  are  doing 
systematic  yeoman  service.  As  absolute  darkness  is  an  essential  in 
the  work  of  the  anaerobic  microbe,  while  he  transmutes  fetid  matter 
into  the  gaseous  state,  cesspools  must  be  about  six  feet  deep,  yet  with 
suitable  air  vent.  Preliminary  disintegrating  surface  work  is  per- 
formed by  the  oxygenic  aerobic,  that  floats  on  the  surface  and  passes 
down  to  his  partner  for  final  disposal  all  refuse. 

We  put  these  twin  servitors  to  work  in  the  bacteria-septic-tanks 
afterward  installed  in  one  of  our  country  places  and  they  purified 
sewage  in  about  twenty-four  hours.  The  apparatus  consisted  of 
three  siphon  connected  tanks — sewage  tank,  weir  tank,  and  disin- 
fecting tank.  The  air  vent  was  a  small  well  braced  galvanized  iron 
pipe  flag  pole  open  at  the  top,  giving  an  exceptional  draught. 

The  installation  of  two  main  line  speaking  tubes  ended  our  list 
of  changes.  Years  afterward  we  realized  that  "striving  to  better,  oft 
we  mar,"  and  while  sugar-loaf-tower  and  aggressive  excrescence 
here  and  impudent  protruberance  there  gave  greater  convenience,  the 
rural  restfulness  of  the  old  farm  house  had  vanished.  Better  a  bed 
of  ashes  and  a  Phoenix-risen  new  house.  From  destruction  of  the 
old  generally  springs  a  newer  and  better  construction. 


14  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


OMB  OF  THE  TW1WS 


THE  OTHER 


EAR   LABELED    STOCK. 


STONE  WALLS  VERSUS  ROADS  15 

Stone  Walls  Versus  Roads. 

Within  a  year  a  development  began  which,  when  completed, 
changed  the  entire  aspect  of  the  farm.  The  first  step  was  to  make 
stone  ballasted  main  roads,  well  underdrained,  utilizing  material 
taken  from  the  three  miles  of  stone  walls  that  straggled  irregularly 
across  ravine  and  pasture,  swamp  and  hillock,  some  broad  enough 
to  hold  a  coach  and  four  on  their  ivy,  woodbine,  and  blackberry 
vine-clad  tops.  These  old  walls  were  the  hide-and-seek  rendezvous 
and  racing  ground  of  the  saucy  fat  chipmunk,  and  their  deep,  dank 
recesses  at  times  nesting  places  for  the  black  snake — the  non-biting 
constrictor — that  so  realistically  rounds  out  country  life.  Quite  a 
number  of  these  walls  were  formed  of  two  distinct  evenly  faced  ram- 
parts, the  intervening  space  filled  writh  small  stones,  a  good  old- 
fashioned  way  of  clearing  land,  and  far  less  shiftless  than  the  piling 
of  stones  on  ledges  that  occasionally  outcrop  on  the  surface. 

Strenuous  agronomical  efforts  required  the  erection  of  more  hay, 
storage,  and  cattle  barns,  also  corn  cribs,  giving  a  comfortable  and 
roomy  group  of  buildings,  taking  the  place  of  hay  ricks,  canvas-capped 
stacks,  and  rough-and-ready  shelters.  The  recurring  seasons  of  seed- 
time and  harvest  caused  bulging  silo  and  o'erflowing  barns,  when 
again  came  the  lumber  teams  and  carpenters  to  provide  new  buildings 
for  increasing  crops  and  stock. 

D.  L.  Moody 's  White  Farm 

Dwight  L.  Moody,  the  Evangelist,  once  told  me  in  most  interest- 
ing detail  of  his  white  farm — no,  not  named  for  the  fields  of  white 
daisies,  but  from  the  stock,  all  snow  white,  including  horses,  dogs,. 
cats,  turkeys,  geese,  ducks,  pigeons — even  mice  and  rabbits  for  the 
children.  Our  love  for  peerless  black  Topsy  and  the  herd  of  Dutch 
belted  cattle  decided  us  to  make  the  motif  black  and  white,  writh  an 
occasional  exception  in  favor  of  some  animal  of  rare  merit.  Much 
against  my  will,  the  scheme  had  to  include  white  daisies,  as  well  as 
wild  carrot  (Queen  Ann's  lace),  the  beautiful  tracery  of  whose 
bloom  belies  its  pernicious,  destructive  habit.  These  two  horticultural 
vagabonds  joined  forces  with  the  Canadian  thistle,  and,  after  several 
years'  struggle,  succeeded  in  depleting  by  half  the  one  hundred  ton 
hay  crop,  the  financial  back  bone  of  our  farm. 

First  on  the  list  of  income  producers  came  the  dairy.  The  fore- 
man had  purchased  in  Vermont  two  carloads  of  native  cows,  but  these 
were  gradually  replaced  by  the  herd  of  Dutch  belted. 

Dutch  Belted  Cattle. 

How  well  I  recollect  when  I  first  saw  in  one  of  the  half  dozen 
agricultural  papers  to  which  we  subscribed  the  beautiful  outlines  of 
the  Dutch  belted  (Lackenfeld)  cattle,  their  jet  black  bodies  com- 
pletely encircled  with  pure  white  blankets.  This  led  me  to  Orange 
County,  New  York,  where  I  joined  the  Dutch  Belted  Association, 


16 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


«••••••     OWE  OUTDOOR  PldCVEKY 

EVEHIMG 


HOME  OF  THE  COMMONERS. 


DUTCH  BELTED  CATTLE 


17 


"BLACK  PEARL,"'  QUEEN  OF  THE   HERD. 

and  purchased  registered,  ring-nosed  Taurus,  with  a  dozen  or  more 
other  prize  metal-ear-labeled  animals.  Within  a  few  years  we  owned 
a  herd  of  belted  cattle  whose  poetic  names  exhausted  the  alphabet, 
for  they  were  forty  strong,  and  at  the  county  fairs  drew  admiring 
comments  as  well  as  honorable  mention  from  both  professional 
and  amateur  for  their  beautiful  markings  and  graceful  forms. 

To  be  sure,  the  Aberdeen-Angus  Polled,  and  Red  Polled  dual 
purpose  cattle  have  an  element  of  greater  safety  where  there  are 
children;  and  among  others  there  were  Ayrshire,  Guernsey,  Devon 
and  Jersey,  Short-Horned  and  Holstein-Fresian,  both  beef  and  dairy 
types,  from  which  to  choose,  but  beauty,  as  well  as  milk  yield,  counted 
in  favor  of  Dutch  belted,  many  of  which,  ours  among  the  number, 
were  bred  from  P.  T.  Barnum's  imported  animals.  At  one  time  the 
live  stock  listed  sixty  cows,  including  yearlings,  a  dozen  horses  and 
colts  (the  raising  of  the  latter  interesting,  but  expensive),  one  hundred 
and  fifty  pigs  and  shotes,  more  or  less,  and  poultry  in  goodly  quantity. 

Milk. 

At  this  time  the  income  from  the  dairy  business  averaged  about 
$450  per  month — gross.  Delivery  wagons  marked  "Hillcrest  Farm," 
pictured  a  Dutch  belted  cow — a  sort  of  coat  of  arms  and  guarantee 
to  our  clientele  that  we  kept  cows,  and  that  the  milk  wasn't 
"boughten."  Milk  was  weighed  and  recorded  to  the  credit  of  each 
high  bred  milch  cow  on  the  score  card  hung  beside  her  photograph. 
The  stone  spring  house,  built  over  a  clear  pebbly-bedded  running 


18 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


CHICKEKS  ARE  SAFE 


ONE    INVOICE    OF    LIVE    STOCK. 


OX  VERSUS  HORSE  19 

brook  in  which  were  submerged  the  cans,  kept  milk  sweet  in  warmest 
weather.     Later  it  was  pasteurized,  subduing  the  elusive  coli. 

We  also  pioneered  the  milk  bottling  plan  in  our  section  and 
lost  some  good  farm  hands  because  of  the  additional  labor  entailed. 
Careless  help  not  only  decreased  the  milk  yield,  but  incurred 
bad  debts,  due  to  poor  judgment  in  the  matter  of  credit, 
so  before  the  business  proved  a  loss  we  sold  out  the  herd,  with  the 
exception  of  a  prize  trio,  to  a  fellow  enthusiast  in  Worcester, 
Massachusetts.  As  the  beautiful,  white  blanketed  creatures  started 
down  the  road  for  their  new  home,  another  of  our  pet  hobbies  was 
unseated. 

With  what  enthusiasm  I  took  up  the  theory  of  the  late  Donald 
G.  Mitchell  (Ike  Marvel)  in  regard  to  keeping  cows  under  open 
field  sheds  in  summer  and  feeding  them  daily  with  freshly-cut  fodder. 
But  experience  taught  that  it  was  more  economical  to  make  them 
work  their  own  passage  for  six  months  at  least,  in  which  opinion  later 
correspondence  with  Mr.  Mitchell  fortified  me.  Dobbin  (i.  e.  Victor) 
harnessed  to  a  tread  mill  ran  the  Ross  cutter  which  inched  corn 
for  the  silo.  Later  a  gasoline  engine  not  only  cut  up  corn  but 
sawed  wood,  whipped  cream  into  butter,  and  ran  the  washing  machine, 
until  electricity  flashed  to  the  fore  and  banished  many  limitations. 

Ox  Versus  Horse. 

Among  the  animals  was  a  prize  yoke  of  steers,  able  to  move  a 
small  house.  But  oxen  were  soon  supplanted,  as  I  fancied  that 
their  slow  gait  counteracted  the  enthusiasm  of  the  most  strenuous  man 
I  could  hire.  This  theory  of  mine  was  somewhat  shaken  by  a  farmer 
who  argued  that  a  pair  of  steers  cost  $125  to  $200,  live  on  hay 
in  winter  and  grass  in  summer,  and  do  not  necessarily  require  grain  nor 
roots,  while  horses  that  cost  in  the  beginning  fully  three  times  as 
much  are  far  more  expensive  to  keep.  In  ten  years  the  steers 
will  bring  more  than  their  cost  for  beef,  while  the  horses  are 
practically  used  up.  The  steer  cultivates  as  many  acres  as  the  horse, 
and  if  trained  to  it  can  be  used  in  a  mowing  machine,  and  will 
tire  the  most  enthusiastic  plodding  ploughman  in  a  day's  work. 
Evidently  the  horse  has  his  innings  with  the  farmer  because  of  the 
necessity  of  getting  to  market  quickly  and  the  pleasure  and  con- 
venience of  driving,  but  gauged  by  economics  the,.,ox  is  not  the  "has- 
been"  the  horse  votary  would  make  him  out.  Style  is  one  main  factor 
in  his  banishment.  Losses  from  horse  diseases  often  deplete  the 
income  of  that  farmer  who  neglects  to  insure  his  stock.* 

The  Farm  Lawn  Versus  Hayfield. 

No,  my  "would-be"  farmer;  cows  on  the  lawn  are  not  such  a 
calamity  as  cows  in  the  corn.     This  photograph  was  taken  in  June 

^'Indiscriminate  salting  causing  immoderate  thirst  sponsored  the  death  by  colic  of  Alice 
our  prize  brood  mare. 


20  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

DOGS  •}  HIGH  DEGREE 


OHB  MEMBER  •/  THE  HftWf  TAMU.Y  IS  UnHftPPV 


BUItGALOW  CKTETI 


5OOII  TO  LBAVE  HOME- 
PETS    OF   HIGH    DEGREE. 


FARM  LAWN  VERSUS  HAY  FIELD  21 


THE    FARM    LAWN. 

just  after  early  haying.  When  the  meadow  grass  had  a  setback 
through  premature  spring  grazing,  followed  by  a  drought,  we 
always  hayed  and  occasionally  grazed  the  lawn.  Thorough  work, 
including  green  soiling,  application  of  nitrate  of  soda,  spring  and  fall 
sprinkling  of  lawn  seed  on  worn  places  and  systematic  rolling,  did 
much  toward  making  it  quite  a  respectable  farm  lawn  from  mid-June 
until  winter,  spite  of  our  stolen  hay  crop.  We  never  raked  off  the 
grass  cut  by  the  lawn  motor,  but  left  it  to  enrich  the  soil.  The 
stones  that  dulled  it  were  buried  to  form  deep  draining  ditches,  and 
after  thorough  subsoil  ploughing,  manure  was  turned  under,  to 
mechanically,  as  well  as  chemically,  benefit  and  enrich  the  soil.  A 
neighbor  spent  more  money  in  this  process  than  we,  going  deeper, 
and  in  twenty  years  his  lawn  never  browned  during  severe  drought 
nor  under  closest  clipping,  the  grass  roots  delving  too  deeply  to  be 
affected.  Slightly  curving  lawn  contours  edged  the  farm  house,  but 
on  the  main  farm  lawn  no  attempt  \vas  made  to  fill  abrupt  depres- 
sions, smooth  hillocks,  or  break  up  boulders  and  blast  out  ledges, 
having  once  had  experience  in  that  line  to  the  tune  of  $3,000  or  more, 
with  no  pleasanter  result  than  a  yard  whose  stone  boundary  wall 
looked  like  that  of  a  prison.  Acres  of  adjoining  land  could  have 
been  bought  for  the  money  put  into  that  unattractive  wall.  With 
this  expensive  warning,  hollows  in  our  farm  lawn  were  padded  with 
shrubbery,  the  most  unsightly  boulders  screened  with  evergreens,  and 
others  partly  hidden  beneath  asexual  mosses,  lichens  and  saphrophytic 
fungi  plants.  In  the  midst  of  rock-strewn  corners  were  planted  vari- 
colored flowering  plants,  the  shade  and  shelter  afforded  by  the  ever- 
greens enabling  us  to  transplant  from  the  forest  a  wood  carpet  of 
rare  and  varied  velvety  beauty.  In  one  particular  copse  nature 


22  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

helped  in  working  out  that  most  difficult  feature  in  landscape  garden- 
ing, a  natural  rockery.  Steep  terraces  were  never  sodded  but  held 
in  place  by  trailing  honeysuckle,  transforming  the  usual  gullied  slope 
to  banks  of  fragrant  bloom  and  several  ungainly  stone  heaps  beauti- 
fied by  the  creeping  pine  that  licked  their  edges  and  ferns  of 
varied  size  and  lacy  texture  that  grew  in  crevice  and  hollow.  Islands 
of  evergreen  broke  the  surface  of  the  lawn,  and  proved  citadels 
of  refuge  for  a  dozen  or  more  gray  squirrels  whom  Spot  the  fox 
terrier  delighted  to  hector  and  terrorize. 

The  Sleepless  "Varmint." 

Though  our  lawn  was  often  ridged  by  that  animal  machine  of 
indefatigable  endeavor,  the  earth-worm-eating-blind  ground-mole, 
who,  according  to  the  farmer,  dies  when  without  food  for  more  than 
a  few  hours,  a  steel  pin  trap  set  over  his  runways  made  his  shadow 
grow  steadily  less. 

Candlemas  Weather  Prophet. 

Speaking  of  shadows,  the  entrances  of  a  dozen  or  more  ground- 
hog burrows  scattered  through  the  pasture  lots  were  faithfully 
watched  at  Candlemas,  February  second,  for  signs  of  an  early  spring, 
but  Mr.  Ground-hog  generally  saw  his  shadow,  returned  to  his  hole, 
and  we  stopped  sorting  seed  until  the  voice  of  that  more  reliable 
prophet,  "the  turtle,  was  heard  in  the  land." 

Tennis  Screen.* 

The  upstart  mechanical  wire  tennis  screen  edging  the  lawn, 
braced  to  withstand  extra  strain,  was  transformed  into  a  green  wall 
of  beauty  by  plentiful  plantings  of  honeysuckle,  Dutchman's  pipe, 
trumpet  vine  and  moon  flower,  while  the  hole-in-the-ground  green- 
house grew  enough  plants  to  decorate  a  portion  of  the  same  lawn 
with  new  old-fashioned  ribbon  gardening,  making  attractive  parterres 
of  flowers  and  in  the  fall  a  wide  variety  of  bulbs  was  set  out  for 
spring  blossoming.  One  of  the  most  pleasing  beds  showed  a  mass  of 
yellow  and  white  tulips. 

Beautifying  the  Ugly  Gravel  Pit. 

Shrubs  that  grew  good  dirt-holding  roots  surfaced  the  sides  of 
a  yawning  gravel  pit,  before  planting  the  steep  incline  being  worked 
to  a  lesser  grade  with  a  horse  scoop,  and  retopped  from  an  adjacent 
pile  of  loam.  Profuse  evergreen  and  shrub  planting  changed  a  dismal, 
barren  area  into  a  really  beautiful  semi-ravine,  one  portion  closely 
resembling  a  grass-grown  volcanic  crater.  Steps  of  old  railway  ties, 
spaced  with  three  foot  rock  and  gravel  treads  prevented  washouts 
and  half  covered  with  vines  led  to  the  bottom  of  the  ravine.  The 
spraddling  prostrate  cypress  edged  the  rocks,  among  which  grew  the 
red  beaded  partridge  berry,  while  near  by,  at  its  best  in  blue  splendor, 

*One  of  the  two  tennis  courts  was  flooded  in  winter  for  a  children's  safe  skating  pond. 


23 


was  the  vinca  or  periwinkle,  and  through  the  underbrush  that  kept 
alive  the  spirit  of  the  wild  trailed  the  arbutus,  which  in  its  place  and 
season  has  no  rival. 


OUR    HORSE    HOME. 

Four-Footed  Friends. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  say  which  of  the  four-footed  friends 
of  Hillcrest  was  deepest  in  our  affections.  Topsy,  that  mare  of 
mares,  whose  quick,  spirited  step  night  or  day  heralded  her  coming, 
was  always  under  voice  control  with  us,  but  a  stranger  could  not 
curb  her  speed — indeed,  she  often  seemed  to  the  onlooker  to  be 
running  away,  and  more  than  one  well  disposed  person  tried  to 
stop  her  and  save  (  ?)  the  driver's  life.  Hills  made  no  difference;  for 
nine  years  she  mounted  them  at  top  speed,  and  at  one  time  in  midnight 
darkness  leaped  a  deep  trench  in  the  highway,  overturning  barriers 
of  planks  and  barrels,  and  kept  on,  with  writer,  gig  and  its  contents 
uninjured,  emphasizing  the  fact  that  spirited  and  intelligent  horses 
are  often  safer  drivers  than  the  type  represented  by  stupid,  plodding 
Peggoty  who  gave  us  a  gig  tumble  we  remembered  for  many  a  day. 

In  one  field  after  a  half  night's  searching  we  found  our  prize 
collie,  Bobbie  Burns,  brought  to  us  from  Edinburgh.  He  had 
been  deliberately  murdered  by  some  miscreant — neighborly  gossip 
suspicioned  the  offender — who  fed  him  with  a  piece  of  meat  stuffed 
with  pounded  glass,  as  discovered  by  our  veterinary  at  the  autopsy. 


24  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


"MUNYON,"    WHO   HELD   UP   INTRUDERS. 


HILARIUS   ARTEMUS,   WHO    SAT   UP   AND 
TOOK    NOTICE    WHEN    IT    HAPPENED. 


FO  UR-FO  O  TED  FRIENDS 


25 


Bobby  was  a  very  discriminating  dog,  gentle  and  harmless,  and  looked 
at  us  with  almost  human  eyes.  He  traveled  to  and  from  town  so 
close  to  the  forefeet  of  Topsy  that  it  seemed  a  miracle  he  was  not 


LEO,    THE    MAGNIFICENT,    WATCHER    AND    WARDER 
OF  OUR  FARM  GATES. 

crushed.  We  had  two  romances  on  the  Hill ;  one  Topsy  and  Bobbie, 
the  other  Frisky  and  Spot.  Spot,  a  prize  fox-terrier,  uncowable, 
undrivable,  unwhippable,  for  his  young  master  would  watch  any- 
thing in  any  place  for  hours.  His  boon  and  inseparable  companion, 
in  paddock,  pasture,  or  harness,  was  Frisky,  the  pony.  Spot's  realm 
was  in  the  pony  cart  when  in  motion  and  under  it  when  its  owner 
left  it  by  the  roadside,  watching  both  pony  and  packages,  until  one 
day  a  heedless  vagabond  struck  the  pony,  Spot  rushed  to  his  defense, 
the  wretch  shot  him,  and  a  second  farm  tragedy  was  enacted. 

Eliminating  Gruesome  Graves  from  the  Farm. 

Fortunately  for  our  peace  of  mind,  no  old  time  family  grave- 
yard disfigured  the  farm,  which,  however  secluded,  is  depressing,  and 


26 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


PRINCETON    TIGER    IN    THE    HOME    CIRCLE. 

if  a  funeral  cortege  crosses  the  lawn  it  emphasizes  an  unpleasant 
division  of  ownership.  This  problem  was  solved  in  one  of  our  prop- 
erties by  purchasing  a  lot  and  monument  in  the  town  cemetery, 
removing  the  bodies  thereto,  obtaining  possession  of  the  land,  and  can- 
celing all  rights  of  way  by  quitclaim  deeds  from  the  heirs.  The 
only  graveyards  on  the  farm  were  in  Sleepy  Hollow  Valley,  located 
not  to  contaminate  the  water  supply.  There  was  the  last  home  of 
the  horses  that  served  us  so  faithfully,  and  of  Bobbie  and  his  suc- 
cessors in  our  affections.  The  willow  we  planted  over  the  grave  of 
Bobbie  Burns  is  to-day  a  lofty  tree. 

The  horses  never  had  other  masters,  but  each  had  pasturage 
in  old  age,  a  warm  corner  in  barn  and  paddock,  and  a  grass-grown 
grave  in  the  valley  at  life's  end.  There  were  Don,  Dan,  Bess, 
Topsy,  Victor,  faithful  Peggoty  and  snow-white,  speed-crazed 
Lightning,  Chester,  Frisky,  and  a  score  of  others,  including  Alice,  the 
daughter  of  renowned  Amy,  that  never-outdistanced  road  mare  whom 
we  brought  from  Boston  only  to  die  within  the  week.  Tragedy  and 
pathos  were  often  boon  companions. 

Our  Horse  Boarders. 

One  source  of  income  was  horse  boarders.  In  box  stall,  paddock 
or  pasture  we  always  had  eight  or  ten  both  summer  and  winter,  a 
big  help  in  actual  cash  toward  the  farm  expenses. 


ELIMINATING  GRUESOME  GRAVES  27 

Dogs. 

In  twenty  years'  farming  experience  our  dogs  numbered 
legion,  and  were  mostly  of  high  degree — top  notchers,  and  real  com- 
panions, answering  our  slightest  wish  if  they  but  understood. 

Leo,  the  king  of  all  our  St.  Bernards,  never  failed  in  honesty 
and  fealty  but  once,  and  was  even  then  immediately  ashamed 
of.  his  lapse.  It  happened  as  follows,  and  it  must  be  con- 
fessed the  provocation  was  great :  It  seems  that  a  roasted 
chicken  had  been  stolen  by  him  from  a  neighbor's  kitchen  range. 
It  was  rescued  from  under  the  trap  after  an  argument  close  to  the 
righting  line  at  the  end  of  a  whip,  and  my  friend  told  me  the  next  day 
that,  lacking  a  neck  and  wing,  his  Sunday  dinner  had  lost  nothing 
and  tasted  good* 

The  bulldog,  Princeton  Tiger,  college  bred  with  one  of  the 
boys,  was  pure  white,  the  farm  color.  The  fighting  spirit  he  devel- 
oped kept  him  at  the  end  of  a  chain  when  on  the  farm,  and  when  thus 
in  bondage  everyone  except  his  young  master  stayed  at  a  respectful 
distance. 

Angora  Aurea,  called  for  brevity  Double  "A,"  was  one  never- 
to-be-forgotten  home  greeter ;  the  only  cat  who  ever  held  a 
deep  place  in  my  affections.  Having  no  vestige  of  the  cat's  occa- 
sional distrust  of  humans,  he  never  zig-zagged,  but  came  straight 
toward  one  with  the  frankness  of  a  dog,  and  rarely  failed  after 
a  greeting  rub  to  crawl  to  my  shoulder,  remaining  there  for 
hours  while  I  walked  about  the  farm.  The  memory  of  those  sharp 
claws  as  he  traveled  from  shoulder  to  shoulder  is  still  vivid.  Brought 
up  with  dogs,  he  had  no  fear  of  them,  but  too  great  confidence  in  a 
treacherous  cur  belonging  to  a  neighbor  was  his  undoing,  to  the 
lasting  grief  of  the  household.  His  epitaph  read:  "Here  lies  a  good 
cat  who  like  the  dog  loved  humans  rather  than  locality." 

Vega  was  the  proud  mother  of  Leo,  and,  to  be  exact,  of  forty- 
nine  other  glorious  St.  Bernards  with  which  we  either  gladdened  or 
saddened  forty-nine  friends  from  Philadelphia  to  Boston.  Their 
histories,  as  far  as  we  followed  them,  showed  many  of  remark- 
able size  but  rather  testy  tempers,  but  Vega  and  her  royal  and 
loyal  son  Leo  were  ever  models  of  what  dogs  should  be.  We 
found  St.  Bernards  as  a  rule  victims  of  wanderlust,  but  for  ten  years 
Vega  watched,  night  and  day,  house,  barnyard  and  stock  until  she 
joined  the  ranks  of  the  dog  majority. 

Some  of  our  dogs  were  especially  gifted  in  sensorial  acuteness 
and  when  tried  out  proved  fit  exponents  of  and  worthy  the  well 
known  tribute  of  Senator  Vest  of  Missouri  to  the  faithful  dog.  While 
attending  court  in  a  country  town  he  was  urged  by  the  attorneys  on 
a  dog  case  to  help  them,  being  offered  $250  by  the  plaintiff.  Volu- 

*Puppyhood  frequently  poached  in  the  chicken  yard.  When  caught  in  the  act  instead 
of  strapping  the  puppy  we  adopted  the  old-fashioned  cure  of  strapping  the  dead  chicken  firmly 
under  the  murderer's  neck.  A  couple  of  weeks  of  this  mental  and  physical  suasion  engender- 
ed a  dislike  for  stolen  chicken  for  all  time. 


28  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

#W; 


DOUBLE    "A,"    THE    HOME    GREETER,    MAKING    A    BEE- 
LINE    FOR    HIS    OWNER'S    SHOULDER. 


! 


VEGA. 
A    PICTURED    TALE    OF    A    TAIL    THAT    WAS    A    TAIL. 


EULOGY  ON  THE  DOG  29 

minous  evidence  was  introduced  to  show  that  defendant  had  shot 
the  dog  in  malice,  while  other  evidence  went  to  prove  that  the  dog 
had  attacked  the  defendant.  Vest  was  not  disposed  to  argue  the  case, 
but,  being  urged,  he  rose,  scanned  the  faces  of  the  jury  for  a  moment, 
and  said : 

Eulogy  on  the  Dog. 

"Gentlemen  of  the  jury:  The  best  friend  a  man  has  in  tne 
world  may  turn  against  him  and  become  his  enemy;  his  son  or 
daughter,  reared  with  loving  care,  may  prove  ungrateful;  those 
nearest  and  dearest,  those  we  trust  with  our  happiness  and  good 
name,  may  become  traitors  to  our  faith.  The  money  that  a  man  has 
he  may  lose — it  flies  away  perhaps  when  he  needs  it  most;  a  man's 
reputation  may  be  sacrificed  in  a  moment  of  ill  considered  action; 
those  who  are  prone  to  fall  upon  their  knees  to  do  us  honor  when 
success  is  with  us  may  be  the  first  to  throw  the  stone  of  malice 
when  failure  settles  upon  us,  but  the  one  absolutely  unselfish  friend 
a  man  can  have  in  this  world — one  that  never  deserts  him ;  never 
proves  ungrateful  or  treacherous — is  his  dog.  A  man's  dog  stands 
by  him  in  prosperity  or  poverty,  in  health  or  sickness;  he  will  sleep 
on  the  cold  ground  where  wintry  winds  blow,  and  the  snow  drives 
fiercely,  if  only  he  can  be  near  his  master's  side;  he  will  kiss  the 
hand  that  has  no  food  to  offer,  he  will  lick  the  wounds  and  sores 
that  come  in  the  encounter  with  the  roughness  of  the  world,  and 
he  guards  the  sleep  of  his  pauper  master  as  if  he  were  a  prince. 
When  all  others  desert,  he  remains.  When  riches  take  wings 
.and  reputation  falls  to  pieces,  he  is  as  constant  in  his  love  as  the  sun 
in  its  journey  through  the  heavens.  If  fortune  drives  the  master 
forth,  an  outcast  in  the  world,  friendless  and  homeless,  the  faithful 
<log  asks  no  higher  privilege  than  that  of  accompanying  him  to 
guard  against  danger;  to  fight  against  enemies.  And  when  the  last 
scene  of  all  comes,  and  death  takes  his  master,  and  his  body  is  laid 
in  the  cold  ground,  there  by  the  grave  will  the  noble  dog  be  found, 
his  head  between  his  paws;  his  eyes  sad,  but  open  in  watchfulness; 
faithful  and  true  even  in  death." 

Vest  sat  down.  He  had  spoken  low  and  without  gesture,  and 
made  no  reference  to  the  merits  of  the  case.  When  he  had  finished, 
judge  and  jury  were  wiping  their  eyes.  The  jury  returned  a 
verdict  for  $500.  Plaintiff  had  sued  for  $200. 

When  in  Edinburgh,  I  saw  that  monument  erected  by  the 
Baroness  Burdett-Coutts  to  the  faithful  dog  who  for  many  years, 
summer  and  winter,  in  burning  heat,  bitter  cold,  drenching  rain  and 
driving  snow  lay  on  his  master's  grave,  leaving  it  only  for  the  food 
and  drink  furnished  by  the  neighboring  shopkeepers,  then  back 
to  h's  lonely  vigil  until  death  ended  his  pathetic  waiting. 


30 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


MUKYOM 


CATTLE  YARD 


THE    FOUR    SEASONS    ON    THE    FARM. 


POULTRY  RAISING  31 

Merino  Sheep. 

Sheep?  Yes,  at  times  quite  a  flock,  which  finally  dwindled 
to  a  trio  of  pure  registered  Merinos  brought  from  Vermont,  Two 
of  these  were  found  dead  one  morning  in  a  corn  field  back  of  the 
barn,  their  throats  gashed  and  flesh  torn,  victims  of  a  vicious  dog. 

We  tried  raising  Angora  goats  as  a  business,  and  even  had 
visions  of  adding  to  the  county's  wealth  as  well  as  our  own  bank 
account  by  their  increase  and  yearly  shearing,  but  after  developing 
a  fondness  for  our  choicest  shrubbery  they  too  became  memories. 

Pigs. 

The  Green  Mountain  State  furnished  us  with  some  chunky 
black  Berkshire  and  white  Yorkshire  pigs,  fat  and  solid  parallelo- 
grams, with  knobbed  mouths,  distended  cheeks,  and  legs  so  short  that 
they  appeared  almost  to  crawl,  instead  of  walk.  No,  there  were  no 
razor-backs  in  the  hog  pens  and  no  ringed  pigs.  Experience  taught 
that  if  confined  within  small  space  they  girdled  and  ruined  the  trees, 
so  we  gave  them  the  run  of  several  orchards,  threw  grain  on  the 
ground,  partially  burying  it,  and  our  animal  plowshares  did  wonders 
in  industriously  uprooting  sod  and  soil,  resulting  in  far  more  produc- 
tive trees. 

The  smokehouse,  used  as  a  roadway  from  the  sty  to  the  farm 
help  table,  served  also  at  times  as  a  miniature  Libby  Prison  for  one 
small  boy  in  "knickers,"  whose  obstreperous  gaiety  was  thought  to  need 
occasional  curbing.  Here  also  we  shut  up  Spot,  the  fox  terrier,  on 
gala  nights  when  fire  crackers  and  fireworks  were  in  the  air.  Of 
these  he  had  such  hatred  that  he  would  dash  angrily  into  their  midst 
with  utter  disregard  of  life  and  limb. 
Poultry  Raising. 

Of  chicken  farming  we  took  deep  draughts,  as  is  usual  with 
the  amateur  in  this  possibility-filled  realm,  breeding  the  wild 
squawking  brown,  also  white,  Leghorns — good  layers,  but  poor  setters 
or  meat-producers;  the  phlegmatic,  good-natured  partridge,  buff  and 
white  Cochins,  feathered  to  their  toe-nails;  the  barred  and  white 
Plymouth  Rock,  the  strutting,  tufted  Poland ;  the  silver  penciled 
Wyandotte,  the  artistocratic  white,  buff  and  black  Orpington,  the 
jet  black  Minorca,  the  sprightly,  trim  Rhode  Island  Reds,  the  dig- 
nified Houdan,  its  illustrious  descendants,  the  Faverolles,  blue 
blooded  Blue  Andalusians,  staring  white  faced  Spanish,  and  the  tiny, 
demure  Bantams,  who  proved  more  intelligent  than  their  pompous 
neighbors,  notwithstanding  the  statement  that  a  chicken's  education 
ends  when  a  day  old.  The  antics  of  a  clutch  of  one-day-old 
chicks  gave  unending  diversion,  lively  in  spite  of  their  usual  twenty- 
four  hour  starvation.  Small  chicken  houses  on  skids  used  as  a 
by-product,  brought  our  best  behaved  and  most  aggressive  insect 
gourmands  to  assist  in  the  clean-up  slaughter  of  garden  pests  in 
asparagus  and  strawberry  beds  and  small  fruit  plantings  when  bloom 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THE  MOTOR  THAT  DID  THE 
JOB 


ITS   TlttAL  REST1M&   T1JVCE 


THE     CELtAU    OF 
ONE    HOUSE    THAT    STROLLED    INLAND. 


FORTY  POUND  TURKEY  33 

and  fruitage  were  not  in  evidence.  A  mulch  of  weeds  and  straw 
outside  the  hennery  walls  allowed  the  use  of  a  dirt  ash-strewn  dusting 
floor  in  winter.  More  than  a  dozen  breeds,  with  separate  yard  for 
each,  battled  to  convince  us  that  there  was  money  to  be  made 
from  this  branch  of  husbandry,  but  when  the  stock  of  hens  num- 
bered much  over  one  hundred  and  the  care  devolved  upon  hired 
help,  we  found  little  if  any  profit.  In  spite  of  incubators  and 
brooders,  sunny  and  shaded  chicken  runs,  close  study  of  the  dietetic 
value  of  different  poultry  foods,  including  a  goodly  batch  of  sunflower 
seeds  grown  in  the  hen  yards,  and  seemingly  the  most  devoted  care, 
both  infant  and  adult  mortality  ran  high,  and  roup  competed  with 
hen-hawks,  polecats  and  an  occasional  Sir  Reynard,  to  fill  the  wrong 
side  of  the  ledger.  The  profit  in  the  sale  of  breeding  stock  was  more 
than  canceled  by  possible  loss  in  egg  and  broiler.* 

Forty  Pound  Turkey. 

I  recall  with  bucolic  pride  our  forty  pound  prize  bronze  turkey 
gobbler.  To  be  accurate,  he  tipped  the  scales  at  thirty-eight  pounds 
eight  ounces,  but  candor  compels  us  to  admit  that  he  was  "boughton, 
not  riz."  Our  pride  had  a  setback  when  we  read  of  a  sixty-pounder 
in  the  West. 

In  self  defense,  we  had  to  trap  the  mink,  weasel,  rat,  and 
sometimes  a  vagrant  cat,  who  insisted  upon  joining  issues  with  an 
occasional  polecat  to  poach  in  the  chicken  yard. 

Well,  the  chicken  raising  hobby -serves  the  beneficent  purpose 
of  forcing  pure  country  air  into  half  expanded  city  lungs,  and  gives 
new  zest  to  living,  even  if  financial  results  are  sometimes  disappointing. 

Among  all  the  screechers  on  our  farm,  including  quacking  ducks 
and  hissing  geese,  our  guinea  fowl  and  a  royal  peacock,  who  strutted 
proudly  up  and  down  the  lawn,  generally  refusing  to  entertain  guests 
by  an  exhibition  of  his  spreading  tail  writh  its  iridescent  coloring,  out- 
screeched  them  all. 

The  white  fantails  superciliously  ignored  the  carrier  pigeons  that 
dwelt  in  the  dovecote,  nesting  in  the  big  barn  cupola.  Perched  on 
ridges  or  strutting  in  the  barn  yard,  they  almost  fell  backward  under 
pride  of  carriage,  and  added  to  the  domestic  atmosphere  of  our  farm 
buildings. 

Husking  Bee. 

The  floor  of  the  old  barn  was  too  uneven  for  dancing,  but  each 
fall  we  had  a  jolly  husking  bee,  and  the  finding  of  a  red  ear  generally 
prognosticated  a  reddened  cheek. 

®The  way  out  for  the  amateur  poultry  keeper,  whether  a  widow  with  children  to  sup- 
port or  a  clerk  seeking  lost  health,  has  been  found.  Let  each  municipaiity  or.  in  lieu  of  a 
generous  public,  the  liberal  minded  individual  owner,  establish  poultry  experiment  stations 
in  near-by  suburbs,  where  up-to-date  methods  in  sheltering,  feeding,  breeding,  special  care  of 
poultry,  buying  of  stock  and  feed,  and  marketing  poultry  and  eggs  in  the  most  profitable 
manner,  are  taught.  Plants  of  this  character  widely  established  would  greatly  shorten 
the  distance  between  producer  and  consumer,  and  could  supply  incubator  chicks  and  market 
the  poultry. 


34  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

Our  Honey  Bee  Industry. 

The  boys  who,  as  we  shall  see  later,  built  "The  Cot,"  had  a 
strong  liking  for  bees,  snakes,  turtles  and  all  animal  life.  Under 
the  tutelage  of  an  apiarist  who  lived  near,  a  swarm  of  bees  was  cap- 
tured from  the  branch  of  an  apple  tree  and  installed  in  a  novel  hive 
made  by  removing  the  lower  sash  in  one  of  the  attic  windows, 
fitting  a  neatly-made  box  tightly  in  the  space,  and  boring  holes  in 
the  window  frame  for  ingress  and  egress  of  the  bees.  On  the  room 
side  of  the  box  they  inset  a  broad  sheet  of  glass  darkened  by  a 
screen.  Utilizing  the  plan  of  a  friend,  a  sliding  microscope  was 
arranged  against  the  glass,  so  that  on  lifting  the  curtain  the  bees  could 
be  microscopically  seen  in  their  home  life. 

No  more  pathetic  insect  life  exists  than  that  of  the  female 
bee,  born  a  queen,  but  changed  in  a  few  days,  through  insufficient 
food,  to  a  worker  in  a  realm  of  abject  servitude.  She  knows  no 
rest,  and  after  weeks  of  continuous  toil  there  comes  a  morning,  as 
she  darts  from  the  hive  to  her  daily  task,  when  the  worn  out  wings 
fail,  and  she  falls  to  the  ground  never  to  rise  again. 

One  of  our  queen  bees  by  actual  count  in  twenty-four  hours 
laid  2,000  eggs  toward  her  life  quota  of  from  one  and  one-half  to 
two  and  one-half  million.  The  busy  bee,  Napoleon's  emblem, 
led  us  deep  into  the  mysteries  of  one  phase  of  interesting  insect  life, 
and  twenty  hives  in  one  orchard  kept  our  friends  and  us  honeyed 
all  the  year. 

The  window  bee-hive,  where  there  was  no  risk  of  being  stung, 
was  one  of  the  farm  sights,  and  interested  all  visitors,  while  the 
incentive  given  the  children  to  study  natural  history  formed  method- 
ical habits  of  research,  close  observation  and  that  greatest  of  all  factors 
in  success — concentration. 

Star  Gazing. 

From  bee-keeping  and  its  kindred  attractions,  they  were  drawn 
to  the  study  of  astronomy,  and  the  five-inch  lens  telescope  set  up  on 
the  old  farm-lookout  was  in  constant  use.  Star  gazing  in  the  open 
was  supplemented  by  indoor  lessons. 


BIRDS  35 


CHAPTER    II. 

OUR  BIRDS — FRUIT — INSECTS — FARM  HELP — BOY'S  CABIN — PETS 

—FORESTRY — GAME    PRESERVE — HEDGES — ROADS — GUTTERS 

— ICE — PLAY  SIDE  OF  FARMING — COUNTY  FAIR — 

SYMPTOMS  OF  BUILDING  MANIA. 

TT  adds  new  zest  to  living  to  be  up  and  about  with  the  meadow 
•*•  lark,  and  is  rare  joy  occasionally,  when  the  days  are  longest,  to 
beat  the  birds  at  their  game  of  early  rising,  and  hear  from  copse  and 
tree-top  dawn  twitters,  swelling  into  orisons  of  greeting  to  the  King 
of  Day.  An  early  to  bed  regime  made  possible  an  occasional  summer 
stroll  at  four  a.  m.,  that  rare  hour  of  nature's  awakening  so  seldom 
appreciated  by  the  great  mass  of  humanity  because  unseen. 

Bird  Annihilation  Spells  Famine. 

Though  but  the  merest  fraction  of  the  nine  hundred  or  more 
North  American  bird  species  nested  and  lived  among  us,  numerically 
they  were  legion.*  The  quantities  of  cherries,  berries,  seeds,  grubs, 
worms  and  insects  attracted  them  to  our  orchards  by  thousands  and 
they  were  welcomed  with  open  arms  as  man's  best  friends.  A 
leading  scientist,  an  extremist,  has  said,  "Obliterate  the  birds,  and  you 
blot  man  from  this  planet  within  nine  years."  The  "death  cham- 
ber" of  the  bird  we  seldom  found  though  a  rocky  cleft  or  a  hole  in  a 
tree,  sometimes  serving  as  an  ossuary,  at  rare  intervals  gave  up  the 
secret.  Isolation  in  the  death  hour  seems  the  choice  of  all  animal 
life. 

The  birdling  in  a  single  day  develops  as  far  toward  maturity 
as  an  infant  in  a  year.  This  rapid  growth  requires  an  insect  menu 
of  wide  scope  and  great  quantity.  For  example,  it  is  on  record 
that  a  pair  of  house  martins  (swallows)  fed  their  young  over  three 
hundred  times  in  sixteen  hours.  We  managed  to  accom- 
modate the  growing  birds,  and  still  have  so  many  left-overs  that 
additional  slaughter  of  the  innocents  by  fire,  poison  and  force  of 
arms  alone  prevented  serious  damage  to  our  crops.  To  walk  through 
field  and  pasture  with  opera  glass,  camera,  pad  and  pencil  and  ever 
so  feebly  try  to  fathom  bird  lore  was  keen  delight. 

Bob  White. 

From  "Round  Meadow,"  the  only  nomenclature  of  the  past  that 
clung  to  the  old  farm,  came  the  liquid  notes  of  the  brown  thrasher 

*  Authorities  claim  that  the  climate  of  Connecticut  not  only  allows  a  wider  range  in 
plant  growth  than  any  other  state— but  that  a  greater  variety  of  birds  lives  within  its  borders. 


36  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


flMM^^*^£Ck_I^AiMfiM^^M 


METAMORPHOSING    THE    FARM. 


RATS  OF  THE  AIR  37 

and  the  answering  call  to  our  mocking  whistle  of  "Bob  White,"  who 
seemed  so  close  at  hand,  yet  was  never  visible  when  whistling,  but 
I  once  found  a  quail's  nest  at  the  base  of  a  peach  tree,  in  a  thicket 
of  raspberry  vines  within  eight  feet  of  the  driveway  and  quite  near 
the  house.  We  enclosed  it  with  a  half-inch  mesh  wire  fence  about 
four  feet  high,  making  a  circle  ten  feet  in  diameter,  thinking  to 
outwit  the  mother,  and  reach  one  of  our  goals,  which  was  to  own, 
with  the  State's  permission,  a  domesticated  covey  of  quail,  a  bird 
that,  as  it  darts  to  and  fro,  is  as  close  to  perpetual  motion  as  any- 
thing that  breathes.  An  empty  nest  and  cast-off  shells  proved  that 
the  mother  bird  had  outwitted  us.  In  bird  as  in  man  the  house 
building  instinct  is  bred-in-the-bone.  One  bird  bungalow  was  in 
a  deep  hole  in  a  cherry  tree  close  to  the  porch.  Here  a  pair  of  flute 
voiced  English  starlings  had  their  home,  taking  most  kindly  even 
to  our  inclement  winters,  while  in  that  rare  seedling  pound  apple 
tree  dwelt  the  happiest  and  sprightliest  of  birds,  the  robin  red  breast. 
When  the  tree  died,  and  was  felled,  the  robins  moved  to  the  veranda 
eaves  under  the  goose-neck  of  the  spout-head  and  set  up  house- 
keeping, until  forced  to  seek  the  orchard  by  that  belligerent  little 
fellow,  the  English  sparrow  that,  like  worry,  is  always  with  us. 

"Rats  of  the  Air."* 

In  1872  or  1873  a  Boston  official  presented  us  with  one  of  the 
first  pairs  of  English  sparrows  brought  to  this  country — a  gift,  I 
believe,  from  some  English  municipality  to  the  city  of  Boston.  Unas- 
suming birds  contrasted  with  their  pugnacious  English  cousins  were 
the  shy  and  gentle  song  sparrows  whose  three  call  notes  and  sweet 
toned  conjugal  warbles  bespoke  sunrise  in  February's  warmest  days. 

We  freed  the  English  sparrows — bud,  flower,  grain-eating  and 
nest-stealing  vagrants — on  our  country  place  in  the  Newtons,  near 
Boston,  inadvertently  assisting  in  starting  the  sparrow  scourge  but 
with  far  less  innocence  than  that  East  Medford  naturalist  and 
astronomer,  Prof.  L.  Trouvelot,  who,  while  trying  to  breed  a  new 
silk  worm,  allowed  an  experimental  importation  of  a  dozen  or  so  of 
the  gypsy  moth  to  escape  in  the  open. 

Devastating  Gypsy  Moth. 

Massachusetts  has  spent  millions  of  dollars  in  the  effort  to 
exterminate  this  moth  and  lost  other  millions  in  damage  to  crops,  the 
snow-ball  of  devastation  increasing  in  size  as  it  rolls  westward.  The 
gypsy  moth  caterpillar  eats  voraciously  in  the  late  afternoon  and  at 
night,  shunning  the  sun  and  attacking  everything  in  sight,  including 

^'Experiment  proved  that  these  bird  rats  would  enter;  in  their  gluttonous  search  for  food, 
some  forms  of  rat  traps,  and  merciless  justice  dealt  to  them  what  they  had  ruthlessly  dealt  to 
others. 


38 


TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


CHANGING  THt^ARM  ft?  2 

THREE   OF   THE    CHANGES. 


THE  BIRD  TROLLEY  ROAD  39 


MURDER    WILL,   OUT. 
CAUGHT  IN  THE  ACT  OF  ENTERING  THE  BIRD  NURSERY. 

coniferous  trees,  a  second  or  third  defoliation  generally  meaning  the 
death  of  the  tree.  The  foul  excrement  from  a  tree  full  of  these 
noxious,  disgusting  pests  sounds  like  pattering  rain  drops. 

From  the  depths  of  hazel  copse  came  the  ubiquitous  catbird's 
shrill  notes.  He  called  to  us  at  times  so  naturally  under  varied  aliases 
as  to  confuse  an  expert  regarding  his  identity. 

Close  to  the  house  was  a  colony  of  chattering,  scolding  wrens 
and  a  pair  of  gentle  bluebirds,  flashes  of  azure  brightness  as  they 
darted  by.  Each  species  lived  in  bird-houses  one  of  the  boys  nailed 
to  a  high  pole  where  the  lazy  Angora  could  not  depopulate  the  bird 
nursery,  as  he  did  when  their  home  was  in  a  get-at-able  crotch  of 
the  apple  tree. 

Puss  Saved  from  Being  a  Bird  Assasin. 

His  punishment  was  to  wear  the  insignia  of  the  Society  of  Bell 
Ringers,  which  saved  the  lives  of  many  of  our  sweetest  songsters. 

The  goldfinch,  the  scarlet  tanager,  the  Baltimore  oriole,  red 
winged  blackbird  and  the  rose-breasted  grosbeak  changed  even  a 
sombre  landscape  to  one  of  tropical  beauty. 

The  Bird  Trolley  Road. 

The  bird  trolley  road  was  unfranchised,  and  only  extended  from 
the  sewing  room  window  to  the  shaded  depths  of  the  big  elm,  its 
cargo  crumbs,  seeds,  water  and  similar  express  matter.  The  tree 
terminal  was  well  patronized,  but  the  other  end  of  the  route  only 
saw  the  tamest  birds. 


40 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


STOIfYCREST 


CHBKGDfS  THE.  HVKM 

|  TKAT^SIRtK  m  THt  APH.lv  ORCRJUSD  H?  3 

HOW  THE  UNASSUMING  ACRES  CHANGED  FRONT. 


41 

Farmer's  Wasted  Opportunity. 

As  the  birds  are  God's  messengers,  so  should  the  farmer  be 
the  custodian  of  nature's  secrets  and  above  the  smirch  of  saint  seducing 
gold.  No  man  has  a  grander  opportunity  to  appreciate  the  infinity 
of  the  Creator  than  he  who  rises  with  the  lark.  Drudgery  and 
grinding  care,  I  grant  you,  are  often  his  lot,  but  snow-bound  winter 
days  and  long  winter  evenings  away  from  the  lure  of  the  town  give 
hours  for  close  converse  with  book  and  microscope.  The  jugglery 
and  jingle  of  dollars,  especially  in  the  marts  of  trade,  in  this  money 
grubbing  age,  at  times  dwarf,  deaden,  and  almost  destroy  our  love 
of  nature.  The  farther  we  get  from  civilization,  the  closer  seems 
man's  head  to  the  ground,  and  in  potato  patch  or  hay  field  he  often 
appears  unmindful  of  the  uplift  that  comes  through  communion  with 
that  same  nature. 

"I  laugh  at  the  lore  and  pride  of  man, 
At  sophist's  school,  and  the  learned  clan; 
For  w-hat  are  they  all  in  their  high  conceit 
When  man  in  the  bush  with  God  may  meet?" 

In  that  morning  stroll,  one  of  the  earliest  greeters  was  the 
bobolink,  rising  from  the  meadow  and  fairly  bubbling  over  with  his 
melodious  song  of  joy,  a  song  that  stayed  with  me  through  distracting 
days. 

More  rarely,  but  at  earlier  and  later  hours,  and  in  contradistinc- 
tion to  the  glorious  warble  of  the  bobolink,  (the  reed  bird  of  the 
south,  or  Bob-o-Linkon)  came  nocturnal  "Poor  Will's"  bid  for 
sympathy,  and  along  the  same  line,  but  at  more  normal  hours, 
the  plaintive  note  of  the  Phoebe  bird  and  in  the  twilight  hour  that 
wonder  warble  from  one  of  the  sweetest  choristers  of  earth's  oft 
invisible  choir,  the  thrush,  pouring  forth  its  evening  song. 

Bird  Temperaments. 

We  enjoyed  studying  bird  temperaments,  and  tracing  resem- 
blances to  the  human.  In  sp  te  of  the  hackneyed  statement  that 
in  an  animal  we  find  but  one  quality  accentuated;  e.  g.;  faithfulness 
in  the  dog,  ambition  in  the  horse,  selfishness  in  the  hog,  in  birddom 
were  found  varied  qualities.  For  instance,  the  kingfisher  showed 
some  distinctive  old  bachelor  traits,  fairly  reveling  in  solitude,  rarely 
consorting  in  numbers,  methodical  in  habit ;  generally  frequent- 
ing the  same  hunting  ground,  fishing  in  the  same  stream,  and  perch- 
ing on  the  same  watch  tower  tree  times  without  number.  The  rasp- 
ing, strident  voiced  blue  jay  is  the  best  example  of  the  jay-human 
who  egotistically  bores  both  friend  and  adjacent  stranger  in  car  and 
theatre  with  meaningless  chatter,  he  who  loudly  rehearses  his  unim- 
portant personal  doings,  gluttonously  feeding  on  half-hearted  excla- 
mations forced  by  courtesy  from  ennuied  listeners. 


42  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


SCMtCT  THS  THIT1GS  THST  HAPPETiED  TO  THX  UNASSUMI 


EACH    PLANNED    TO    FIT    THE    SITE. 


BLIZZARD  OF  1888 


43 


The  crow  impressed  one  with  his  self-importance,  strutting  up  and 
down  our  fields  like  a  landed  proprietor.  Very  sociable  and  interest- 
ing he  proved,  and  when  a  young  one  was  captured  his  antics  were  al- 
most human.  He  is  a  type  of  the  exasperating  bombastic  and  self-suf- 
ficient man,  the  impressionist,  life  with  whom  is  "caw"  and  "caw" 
again.  He  listens  with  supercilious  and  distracted  mien,  only  to 
endeavor  to  outdo  and  overshadow  with  the  account  of  his  own  or  his 
friend's  doings,  in  his  anxiety  to  be  heard  cutting  short  the  finale 
of  your  tale. 

But  for  real  bubbling-over  cheerfulness,  give  me  the  chickadee. 
The  snow  might  drift  across  the  lane  level  with  fence  top,  and  trees 
and  buildings  be  festooned  therewith,  yet  the  cheery  "here  I  be"  of 
this  optimist  brightened  the  most  forlorn  day. 


)*. 


rv. 


"gvajfat. 


BLIZZARD  OF   1888. 

Blizzard  of  1888.     Bird  Callers. 

I  recall  that  in  the  blizzard  of  1888,  when  we  had  to  tunnel  a 
snowdrift  to  reach  the  outer  world  as  well  as  to  feed  stock,  the 
chickadee  was  our  first  caller,  forced  to  tap  at  a  second  story  window- 
pane  for  his  breakfast.  Snow  buntings,  nuthatches,  downy  wood- 
peckers, and  tree  sparrows  vigorously  hunted  for  seeds  and  grubs  in 
meadow  and  orchard  and  also  patronized  our  suet  lunch  counter  nailed 
to  a  near  by  apple  tree.  Winter  seemed  to  make  hopping  sparrows 
and  waddling  starlings  thoroughly  dissatisfied  with  themselves  and 
their  surroundings;  I  fancy  the  gray  skies  grayed  their  lives,  as  gray 
skies  affect  some  humans. 


44 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THE    FARM   HOUSE   AND   ITS   NEXT   DOOR   NEIGHBOR. 


KINGLETS  OF  THE  EVERGREENS  45 

The  woodpecker  showed  the  traits  of  a  bustling  business  man. 
With  untiring  energy  he  circled  and  re-circled  the  trunks  of  our 
apple  trees,  leaving  them  moth-eaten  and  battered  as  he  bored  with 
almost  mathematical  precision  myriad  holes  in  his  search  for  insect 
life  and  sap.  It  is  Munchausenly  said  by  some  reckless  tarradiddler 
that  the  most  beautiful  markings  glorifying  the  bird's-eye  maple  are 
directly  traceable  to  an  injury  to  the  tree  made  by  this  industrious 
bird,  who,  if  the  statement  were  correct,  might  be  called  an  arboreal 
pearl  manufacturer.  The  scientist  solves  the  enigma  with  the  state- 
ment that  they  are  wood  imprisoned  buds. 

The  shrill,  imperious  note  of  command  of  the  flicker  or  golden 
woodpecker  (next  in  size  to  the  crow,  and  a  leader  among  bird 
captains  of  industry)  awakened  early  spring  morning  echoes. 

The  quarrelsome  side  of  humanity  divided  honors  among 
the  birds.  Pronounced  examples  were  seen  in  the  frowsy-headed, 
scolding  wren,  the  noisy,  pugnacious,  bloodthirsty  English  sparrow 
and  the  fighting  shrike  or  butcher  bird  who  brained  alike  both  spar- 
rows and  field-voles. 

Kinglets  of  the  evergreens  were  real  kings  in  their  province, 
near  neighbors  to  the  redstart,  another  of  our  sweetest  warblers. 
The  fitful,  darting,  uneven,  swirling  flight  of  the  barn  swallows 
graphically  pictures  the  forceful  yet  purposeless  man  who  takes 
long  and  roundabout  journeys  to  go  little  distances  in  the  realm 
of  finance  and  barter,  unable  to  see  the  shorter  cuts. 

The  lilliputian,  hawk-like,  screaming,  bow-winged  chimney 
swifts  were  continually  in  flight,  their  only  alighting  spot  seeming 
to  be  the  chimney  side.  At  times  their  progeny  disturbed  our  slum- 
bers with  ghostly  flutterings  on  the  hearth  at  midnight's  witching  hour. 

In  the  highest  peak  of  the  granary  roof  nested  that  awkward 
booby  of  the  bird  race,  the  barn  owl,  whose  strangely  weird  screech- 
ing of  "to  whit!  to  whoo!"  so  different  from  all  other  bird  language, 
broke  the  stillness  of  the  summer  nights,  preceded  often  at  dusk  by 
the  sharp  eerie  shriek  of  the  night  hawk,  which  came  out  of  the  ether 
like  the  cry  of  a  lost  soul  as  he  circled  aimlessly  overhead.* 

Bats. 

Yes,  there  were  plenty  in  one  of  our  outbuildings ;  harmless 
creatures,  in  spite  of  their  swift  and  startling  comings  and  goings  and 
occasionally  hair-raising  poachings  in  the  tabu  realms  of  porch  and 
bedroom,  in  their  search  for  mosquitoes  and  moths. 

Pirating  Birds. 

Bird  thievery  was  best  exemplified  in  the  nest-stealing  cuckoo, 
less  parasitical,  however,  than  his  European  cousin,  and  the  love  of 
companionship  in  the  polygamous  cowbird  who  perched  upon  and 
fed  near  the  cattle,  and  was  another  nest-appropriating  vagrant. 

The  night  hawk  is  in  the  front  rank  of  the  list  of  crepuscular  goatsuckers. 


46 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THII16S 
TOW&R&       THAT  HAPPEnES  TO  THE  TA-RH 


FIFTEEN    SHEAVES    FROM    THE    GRAIN    FIELDS. 


BATTLE  ROYAL  IN  THE  ORCHARD  47 

The  cuckoo  synonymed  perfectly  among  his  fellows  of  the  avian 
tribe  that  type  of  man  who,  no  matter  how  many  or  how  close  his 
relatives,  seems  always  a  stranger  among  them,  sharing  not  an 
attribute  of  his  forbears,  furnishing  to  some  additional  proof  of  the 
theory  of  reincarnation. 

The  Songless  Bird. 

Interesting  and  fascinating  because  of  its  delicate  tiny  form 
and  swift  motion  was  the  songless  bird,  the  ruby-gorget-throated 
hummer,  whose  spitfire  squeak  oft  betrayed  his  presence.  He  quaffed 
deep  draughts  of  the  honey  hidden  in  the  floret's  deepest  nectary,  fit  for 
a  king,  his  favorite  browsing  field  the  Japanese  Halliana  honeysuckle 
that  covered  our  side  porch  with  its  profuse  continuous  blooms  and 
green-embowered  the  entrance  to  the  dining  room  used  by  the  stable 
help.  The  red-eyed  vireo  and  the  siskin  haunted  the  orchard. 

The  red-headed  sapsucker,  who  unwittingly  shares  his  sap 
banquet  with  bee  and  humming  bird,  and  the  hermit  thrush,  were 
among  our  latest  bird  callers  ere  they  took  up  their  journey  south- 
ward. As  in  mankind  big  crowds  often  mean  jolly  companionship, 
so  enormous  flocks  of  birds  bubble  over  with  the  joy  of  living  as  they 
seek  the  air  lanes  through  which  they  migrate  at  high  altitudes  for 
thousands  of  miles  twice  a  year,  instinct  directing  their  course  with 
unerring  precision. 

I  soon  learned  that  the  singing  birds  of  May  and  June,  the 
real  chorister  months  in  birddom,  were  absolutely  silent  during 
the  moulting  season  of  July  and  August,  though  the  robin  and  some 
others  were  again  in  voice  ere  wintry  blasts  drove  them  either  into 
the  deep  woods  or  farther  south.  Birds,  to  whom  is  given  the  freedom 
of  the  skies,  have  but  faint  kinship  with  the  beasts,  apparently  belong- 
ing to  other  realms,  and  man's  efforts  to  fathom  bird  lore  have  igno- 
miniously  failed — indeed,  seemingly  few  try  to  understand  the  fasci- 
nating chorister  pages  in  nature's  book. 

Battle  Royal  in  the  Orchard. 

Believing  firmly  in  a  generous  fruit  diet  as  a  bulwark  against 
disease,  our  plantings,  in  addition  to  the  back  log  of  apples  and  pears, 
were  large  and  varied.  The  old  saw:  "Two  apples  a  day  keep  the 
doctor  away"  was  in  our  unwritten  decalog. 

Many  were  the  discussions  over  the  different  fruits;  whether 
one  could  tell  by  taste  the  red  Cuthbert  from  the  golden  queen  or  the 
Brinkles  orange  raspberry;  the  best  eating  and  keeping  pears  and 
apples,  or  pick  out  a  seckle  and  a  Bartlett  pear  tree  when  the  orchard 
was  leafless.  Dwarf  fruit  trees,  the  playthings  of  the  orchard,  were 
soon  uprooted  and  given  to  owners  of  town  yards  while  we  used 
sturdier,  more  prolific,  and  profitable  plantings. 


48 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


SPACED  SO  AS  TO  AVOID  CONFLICT 


HATING. 


SEEDLING  POUND  APPLE  49 

Apples. 

Success?  That  depends  upon  the  point  of  view.  At  any  rate, 
we  had  the  keen  joy  of  living  close  to  nature,  and  were  all  in  perfect 
health.  The  profit  in  dollars  varied.  One  year  I  recollect  we 
had  over  four  hundred  barrels  of  apples,  but  that  year  everyone 
had  apples  in  profusion.  There  was  only  sufficient  cash  return  to 
pay  the  commission  merchant's  charges,  the  freight,  cost  of  barrels, 
and  a  few  cents  for  the  pickers. 

Worthless  fruit  abounded,  as  in  most  old  farm  orchards,  but 
grafting  and  regrafting,  coeval  with  our  conquest  of  the  San  Jose 
scale,  gave  far  better  results. 

Some  of  the  thriftiest  wild  apple  seedlings  and  occasionally  the 
least  desirable  of  nursery-grown  trees  were  grafted  with  seek-no- 
furthers,  northern  spys,  Baldwins  and  Roxbury  russets,  Rhode  Island 
greenings,  wine  sap,  king,  and  snow  apples,  and  Newtown  pippins. 

False  Economy  in  Tree  Planting. 

The  trees  had  been  planted  for  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  years  and 
were  a  monument  to  the  false  economy  of  the  farmer  who,  having 
broad  acres,  yet  crowds  his  apple  trees  to  twenty-five  foot  spaces,  and  in 
less  than  a  score  of  years  has  a  mass  of  interlocked  branches,  conse- 
quently undersized  and  mildewed  fruit.  With  this  lesson  before  us, 
all  new  settings  were  spaced  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet,  and  trees 
planted  opposite  only  in  every  other  row,  giving  still  more  room  for 
growth. 

Dynamiting  the  Soil. 

Before  planting  the  orchards,  every  twenty-five  feet  and 
three  feet  underground  were  set  dynamite  cartridges.  Electrically 
exploded  as  one  battery,  they  thoroughly  disintegrated  the  soil  and 
freed  plant  food  enslaved  for  centuries.  In  winter  the  trees  were 
girdled  with  newspapers  to  balk  the  girdling  rabbit. 

Many  a  farmer  is  ignorant  of  the  fact  vouched  for  by  some 
authorities  that  the  cedar  is  the  enemy  of  the  apple  tree,  and  that  the 
crisp,  tiny,  brown,  fragile,  hollow  cedar  apple  can  propagate  an  apple 
blight;  therefore  he  who  hedges  in  his  fruit  trees  by  wind  screens 
of  protecting  cedars  harbors  that  which  may  blight  and  curtail  his 
apple  crop. 

We  scraped  the  rough,  loose,  scaly  bark  from  the  trunks  of 
fruit  trees,  being  careful  not  to  dig  into  the  quick,  and  gave  them 
thorough  scrubbings  with  greasy  water,  including  dog  washing  suds. 
This  disheartened  and  generally  annihilated  the  most  voracious  bug, 
and  helped  to  grow  a  fine,  smooth,  healthy  bark. 

Seedling  Pound  Apple. 

New  apple  trees  were  set  out  for  variety.  The  former  owner's 
plantings  had  been  russets,  Baldwins,  one  sweet  apple,  half  a 


50 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THE  TltTAHOTRFHOSEB  W«RM  HOUSS 


SHACKS  THKt  M«  THt  APPROACH  -BRRAKKtCK  ma 


FROM   SHACK   TO   MANSION. 


,*  ut  Ajtesiex  WAS  rouna 


PEAR  TREE  OF  1632  51 

dozen  northern  spys  and  three  crab  apple;.  In  the  front  yard,  close  to 
the  house,  was  a  seedling  apple  tree  at  least  twenty-five  years  old  that 
deserves  an  epitaph,  especially  as  by  encroaching  on  its  roots  in  enlarg- 
ing the  farm  house  we  unintentionally  killed  it.  For  several  seasons  it 
bore  bountifully  apples  weighing  a  pound  or  more  each.  They  had 
bright  reddish  skins  streaked  with  green,  were  deliciously  tart,  and  fine 
keepers.  The  rare  combination  keenly  interested  and  completely  phased 
every  pomologist  to  whom  I  submitted  specimens,  including  my  old 
friend  Dr.  Hexamer  who  credited  me  with  owning  the  apple  of  the 
future,  and  I  had  just  completed  arrangements  for  its  propagation  in 
a  large  way  when  it  died.  A  second  Concord  grape  success  was  lost 
to  the  world  when  that  nameless  seedling  pound  apple  tree  died 
unscioned,  and  failure  number  ten,  a  most  humiliating  one,  went  into 
the  record  book. 

Pear  Tree  of  1632. 

We  sent  a  special  agent  to  the  Governor  Thomas  Prence 
homestead  at  Eastham,  on  Cape  Cod  (the  Thomas  Prence  who  came 
over  in  the  good  ship  Fortune,  and  was  later  one  of  the  early  Gov- 
ernors of  Plymouth  Colony)  and  obtained  scions  of  that  oldest 
pear  tree  in  the  United  States,  as  on  three  former  occasions. 
Affidavits  from  "that  oldest  inhabitant"  assured  us  that  they  were 
taken  from  the  tree  brought  from  England  in  or  about  1632.  They 
grew  and  thrived,  and  though  the  fruit  was  small  and  gnarly,  the 
charm  of  history  and  romance  surrounded  it,  for  undoubtedly  from  the 
same  stock  ate  John  Alden  and  Priscilla  Mullens,  that  doughty  war- 
rior, Myles  Standish,  and  many  others  of  the  little  company  who  paid 
that  first  memorable  visit  to  New  England,  December  22,  1620.  We 
christened  this  pear  the  Mayflower,  as  eating  it  carried  us  back  to  the 
days  of  cone-shaped  hats,  wide  collars  and  knickerbockers ;  to  the  time 
when  little  things  were  mighty  things,  in  sharp  contrast  with  these 
latter  days  when  mighty  things  are  to  us  little  things.  Newly 
awakened  forces  advance,  vanguarded  by  electricity  and  radium, 
unknown,  sleeping  giants  then,  but  today  though  barely  awakened 
more  than  equal  to  the  enormous  burdens  that  man  in  the  arrogance 
of  his  divine  right  to  rule  matter  is  heaping  upon  them. 

The  Site  Makes  or  Ruins. 

The  same  farmer  who  plants  his  apple  trees  close  together  often 
opens  both  house  and  barn  gates  across  the  highway  and  builds  his 
home  unpleasantly  near  it,  barns  and  outbuildings  sometimes  really 
edging  the  dusty  road,  all  false  economies,  forgetting  that  if  the  house 
is  set  well  back  and  on  rising  ground,  if  only  in  a  rough  pasture  lot,  his 
property  is  lifted  beyond  ordinary  farm  competition,  and  can  be  made 
extremely  attractive  and  more  valuable  at  small  expense.  I  have  in 
mind  two  ordinary  houses  that  I  moved  back  from  the  highway  a 
couple  of  hundred  feet  into  the  centre  of  a  rugged  hillside  at  a  cost 


52  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


ANIMATES     AND     INANIMATES. 


CORDON  AND  FAN-GROWN  TREES  53 

of  $300  each,  and  thereby  increased  the  value  of  land  and  buildings 
one  hundred  per  cent.  Even  the  widening  of  a  road  in  front  of  a  prop- 
erty enhances  its  value  and  desirability.  As  simple  a  thing  as  setting 
back  a  wall  two  feet  I  found  not  only  broadened  the  sidewalk  but 
added  materially  to  the  appearance  and  value  of  a  house. 

The  vital  and  expensive  error  of  building  a  house  in  the  wrong 
location  is  frequently  made.  A  house  built  on  low  land  is  generally 
sheltered,  often  hot,  and  always  damp. 

Fruit  Crop. 

The  fruit  crop  on  the  old  farm  began  and  ended  with  apples, 
save  for  a  couple  of  crooked  pear  trees  which  yielded  a  half  crop  of 
discolored,  nubbined,  gnarly  fruit ;  half  a  dozen  fine  peach  trees — 
never  have  eaten  as  good  peaches  since — and  a  small  patch  of  rasp- 
berries. 

Peaches. 

The  peach  crop  from  the  new  plantings  averaged  for  several  years 
about  fifteen  hundred  baskets  of  highly  colored  luscious  fruit. 

A  long,  tight  board  fence  facing  south  inveigled  us  to  distort  and 
mutilate  with  knife  and  pruning-saw  peach,  nectarine,  and  pear  tree 
along  espalier  lines,  and  cordon  and  fan-grown  trees  fastened  against 
this  fence  matured  their  fruit  ahead  of  time,  boosted  into  ripening  by 
old  3x6  hot-bed  sash,  braced  lengthwise  aslant  the  fence  top. 

The  short-lived  peach  trees  were  set  between  the  long-lived 
pears,  which  outlive  their  planters  for  generations  unless  neglected 
or  overtaken  by  disease;  indeed,  even  the  stalwart  apple  tree  crumbles 
to  dust  years  before  this  seemingly  weaker  sister,  the  pear,  ceases 
to  yield.  Our  pear  gamut  extended  from  Clapp's  Favorite,  that  rotted 
at  the  heart  if  left  on  the  tree,  to  the  late  ripening  Kieffer,  and 
between  times  the  Buerres,  including  the  luscious  Bosc,  also  the  winter 
Nelis,  sell  at  a  high  price.  In  apples  we  prolonged  the  season  from 
Summer  Red  Astrachans  to  wine  saps  and  Winter  Spitzenbergs. 

Plums. 

Plum  trees  were  planted  in  the  poultry  yard  to  gain  the  aid  of 
the  industrious  hen  in  the  struggle  with  that  mightiest  of  monopolistic 
trusts,  the  insect  world.  We  fought  at  five  a.  m.  or  earlier  the 
curculio,  nicknamed  the  little  Turk,  because  in  depositing  her  eggs 
she  stamps  her  mark  of  ownership,  a  Turkish  crescent,  on  every  plum 
within  reach.  A  sheet  was  spread  each  side  the  trunks,  and  often 
before  sun-up,  while  the  night  chill  is  still  in  the  air  so  that  she  could 
neither  cling  to  the  tree  nor  fly  away,  we  tapped  with  mallet  on  a 
screw  or  spike  driven  into  the  tree  trunk,  and,  lo,  Mrs.  Curculio 
was  soon  food  for  an  extraordinarily  hungry  hen  or  the  fire.  Infec- 
tive monilia  and  shot-hole  fungi  were  fought  valiantly  with  poison- 
charged  squirt  guns.  Quinces  thrived  when  we  checked  the  bombard- 
ment of  quince  curculio,  borer,  and  bag-worm. 


54  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


6TUVP  SHOTS  OF  UPS  OK  TH£  "FARM. 


OUR  HOTBED  SASH  SKPtNHODSE 


THE  B3BOKBTUMS  StCOMB  YEAR 

I* 

^ 


OWE  SfiCTIOH/OUR  TWO-MEtt  nORAL  BOKIJER 
FARM  VIEWS 


SMALL  FRUITS  55 

The  farmer  finds  no  exception  to  that  law  confronting  mankind, 
the  survival  of  the  fittest,  briers  vs.  flowers,  tares  vs.  grain,  insects 
and  fungi  vs.  vegetables  and  fruit.  Much  to  our  surprise  we  found 
that  the  long  yellow  papaw  and  plum-like  astringent  persimmon 
thrived. 

Cherries. 

Cherry  Lane  which  led  to  the  pastures  was  lined  each  side  with 
black  eagles,  black  Tartarians,  Governor  Woods  and  yellow  Spanish. 

Wild  cherry  trees  were  left  in  the  hedge-rows  (unless  they 
shaded  other  planting)  as  a  spread  net  to  segregate  the  tent  cater- 
pillars for  our  kerosene  torches  of  destruction.  We  ashed  for 
yellows,  tried  successfully  the  alliteration  "potash  paints  the  peach," 
cut  the  blighted  branches  of  the  pear  trees  and  sprayed  Bordeaux 
mixture  and  other  solutions  from  a  horse-barrel-cart  and  pump  to 
the  very  topmost  twigs  of  our  fruit  trees  to  destroy  fruit  and 
leaf  blight.* 

Grapes. 

Grape  settings  numbered  hundreds,  possibly  thousands,  of 
varied  kinds,  and  judicious  winter  pruning  before  the  sap  started 
gave  a  prolific  yield  of  Niagaras  and  Concords  which  with  us  rarely 
mildewed,  although  the  former  under  conditions  is  a  mildewer,  but 
the  Rogers  seedlings  in  our  climate  were  far  from  immune.  Roses 
no  longer  satisfied  the  rose  bug.  The  grapevine  was  to  his  special  lik- 
ing, and  his  inroads,  as  well  as  that  of  black  rot,  the  active  grape-leaf- 
hopper  and  the  spotted  pelidnot  kept  us  destructively  busy  among  the 
vines.  Paper  bags  protected,  and  thinning  grapes  in  cluster  and  bunch 
vastly  improved  the  fruit. 

Rough,  grape-vine-embowered  and  crude-angled  cedar,  walnut, 
and  chestnut  pergolas  lasted  longer  than  those  planed  and  painted, 
curved  and  jig-sawed,  arched  arbors  made  and  set  by  the  carpenter, 
and  were  far  more  appropriate  and  picturesque.  The  first  cost  was 
less  and  the  repair  bill  nil.  They  made  fine  dog-trots,  while  the  grassy 
space  between  centred  with  a  bird  font  answered  for  a  crow-walk  and 
bird  rendezvous. 

Small  Fruits. 

After  investigation,  the  Wachusett  was  decided  upon  as  the  semi- 
thornless  blackberry  best  suited  to  our  needs.  Some  gooseberries 
were  large  as  damson  plums ;  the  red,  white,  and  black  currants  grew 
fairly  well  in  the  shade,  and  made  rare  preserves,  but  the  wild  bar- 
berry, when  in  flower  or  fruit  a  most  ornamental  shrub,  gave  the 
best  jam.  There  were  dewberries,  or  running  blackberries,  whortle- 
berries and  strawberries  of  varying  degrees  of  sweetness,  but  few 
of  the  latter  as  good  flavor  as  the  wild  strawberry,  also  a  wealth  of 

*Copper  sulphate,  six  pounds,  lime,  four  pounds,  to  thirty  five  or  forty  gallons  of  water 
was  the  formula. 


56  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

'ROBIHiS  If£ST  AKowJ^iiuT.    *.«»  BAKNYAKD 


TOP 
ROBIN'S  NEST  ON  THE  MOWING  KNIVES. 


DEFEAT  BY  THE  INSECT  TRUST  57 

elderberries,  red,  yellow  and  black  raspberries,  or  black  caps,  and  bay- 
berries,  from  which  we  make  the  Christmas  "bayberrie  dyppe."  Our 
only  bog  was  planted  to  cranberries  from  stock  sent  us  from  Cape 
Cod. 

Tie  and  Pole  Forestry. 

We  found  the  care  and  propagation  of  trees  as  outlined  by  the 
United  States  Government  interesting,  and  the  farm  library  was 
added  to  by  forestry  papers  and  booklets  as  well  as  Governmental 
maps  showing  the  topography  and  boundaries  of  our  State  and 
country.  As  a  business  project,  in  view  of  the  dearth  and  high 
price  of  the  wood  of  black  walnut  and  cherry,  we  planted  hundreds 
of  small  trees  of  each  in  the  pasture  land,  roughly  railing  them  from 
cattle.  Someone,  sometime,  should  reap  bountifully  where  we  sowed. 

An  acquaintance  owning  an  extensive  estate  edging  one  of 
our  railroad  lines  has  set  out  twenty  thousand  or  more  locusts  and 
chestnuts  close  to  the  track,  a  pole  and  tie  proposition,  but  unless 
disease  in  the  chestnut  is  conquered,  that  end  of  the  project  is 
wrecked,  though  the  locust  must  in  time  yield  good  returns,  for  who 
or  what  could  injure  a  locust? 

Ornamental  trees  on  the  farm  were  few  compared  with  the  five 
hundred  and  more  species  indigenous  to  this  country  and  included 
chestnut,  hickory,  sassafras,  tulip,  swamp  oak,  maple,  aromatic  black 
birch  and  sycamore.  In  shrubs  there  were  half  a  dozen  lilacs  and  a 
couple  of  spireas,  one  of  which  had  a  magnificent  golden  leaf  in  early 
spring,  but  lost  its  coloring  later  in  the  season,  as  do  the  ordinary 
copper  beeches. 

Defeat  by  the  Insect  Trust. 

In  the  six  acre  blackberry  patch  was  lost  a  mighty  battle.  We 
controlled  at  first  the  spring  and  fall  orange  rust  that  in  a  year 
or  two  made  heavy  inroads  on  this  crop,  while  the  peach 
and  quince  borers  found  death  at  the  end  of  a  wire  which,  spite  of 
soiled  clothing  and  bruised  knees,  was  pressed  into  his  hiding  places, 
usually  found  where  the  trunk  edged  the  ground  or  an  inch  or  two 
below  the  surface.  By  like  method  was  searched  out  and  destroyed 
the  apple  borer  in  his  bark-hidden  lair. 

The  asparagus  beetle,  the  raspberry  borer,  and  cane  girdler,  the 
potato  bug — in  fact,  all  the  various  enemies  of  the  farmer  that  flew, 
crawled,  or  bored — we  fought  tooth  and  nail  with  Paris  green,  helle- 
bore, Bordeaux  mixture,  and  other  insect  and  fungi  destroyers. 

Purification  by  Fire. 

Purification  by  fire  saved  foliage,  bloom,  fruit,  and  plant,  whether 
it  was  currant  worm,  rose  bug,  or  infected  wood  of  pear  or  peach  or 
vine  of  raspberry,  blackberry,  and  grape  that  fed  the  holocaust 
and  when  our  twenty  years  of  apprenticeship  at  farming  ended- 


58  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

we  knew  in  a  fairly  satisfactory  if  amateurish  way  fruit,  milk, 
trees,  flowers,  farm  stock  and  utensils,  in  fact,  almost  everything  per- 
taining to  farming,  except  how  to  manage  that  unknown  and  exasper- 
ating quantity,  farm  help. 

Farm  Help. 

Why  farm  help  or  the  keeping  of  it  proves  a  bugbear  is  a 
question  that  will  not  down  even  with  the  up-from-the-cradle-farmer 
and  the  amateur  is  generally  nonplussed. 

Birthright  Sold  for  Pottage  of  the  Fields. 

The  death-dealing  triumvirate  of  drouth,  disease  and  insect 
life  can  be  circumvented  and  controlled  if  not  entirely  vanquished, 
but  the  farm  help  problem  is  rarely  satisfactorily  solved.  If  you  let 
the  farm  on  shares  to  avoid  the  cares  of  husbandry,  you'll  pocket 
your  pride  and  be  merely  a  tenant  on  your  own  domain,  possibly 
dictatorially  told  which  fields  you  may  enter  and  those  in  which  you 
must  not  trespass;  have  the  privilege  of  paying  for  new  machinery 
and  helplessly  seeing  it  broken  up,  and  when  the  three  years'  lease 
has  expired,  seven  to  ten  chances  your  soil  has  been  impoverished, 
your  cattle  made  non-producing,  and  tools  and  buildings  left  in  poor 
condition.  No!  Be  a  prince,  living  in  your  own  castle  on  your  own 
estate  if  it's  only  a  bungalow  and  two  acres,  rather  than  a  vassal  on  a 
thousand  acres.  But  if  you  own  a  large  farm,  pasture  most  of  it, 
and  in  part  with  horse  boarders  as  long  as  horse  boarders  exist.  Let 
the  trees  grow,  trimming  when  necessary,  keeping  down  grass,  weeds 
and  underbrush  with  a  flock  of  sheep  or  Angora  goats.  Farm  lightly ; 
take  annoyances  philosophically,  and  enjoy  Arcadia  to  the  utmost.  A 
farm  run  in  this  way  without  expensive  buildings  to  keep  up,  with 
large  road  frontage,  and  near  a  growing  town,  rapidly  increases  in 
value,  and  the  carrying  charges  are  simply  nominal  and  more  than 
offset  by  your  summer  rent. 

Marauder  Versus  Marauder. 

As  in  California  especially  they  are  using  insect  to  fight  insect  and 
stamping  out  disease  by  letting  loose  some  bitter  enemy  to  feed  upon 
it,  so  in  time  the  microbiologist  will  discover  the  insect  or  fungus  that 
will  overcome  the  chestnut  disease,  as  well  as  the  hickory  blight  which 
is  slowly  sapping  the  life  of  another  of  our  prolific  nut  trees  and 
destroy  the  gypsy  moth,  elm  beetle  and  other  enemies  to  vegetation 
that  swarm  in  mighty  hosts  in  field,  orchard  and  forest. 

Scattered  over  the  farm  were  nut  trees  by  the  hundred,  monarched 
notably  by  a  big  five-trunked  chestnut  that  we  christened  "The 
Emperor,"  after  which  was  named  the  chestnut  lot. 

There  were  hickories,  pig  nuts  and  shellbarks,  butternuts,  pungent 
black  walnuts,  and  copses  of  hazel  or  filberts.  To  this  list  was  added 
the  little  chinquepin,  also  the  large  Japanese  chestnut  that,  low- 


CATCH-ALL  SHED  59 

growing  and  thick  headed,  makes  an  effective  screen,  and  has  at 
present  no  fungus  enemy.  The  alder-leafed  trailing  chestnut  was  also 
successfully  grown. 

Hardy  English  Walnut. 

A  farmer  sold  us  half  a  dozen  walnut  trees  that  he  had  raised 
from  the  nut  of  a  hardy  English  walnut,  and  these  gave  after  fifteen 
years'  slow  growth  that  rare  product  in  our  climate,  a  thin-shelled 
walnut  of  large  size. 

Rabbit  Hutches  and  Squirrel  Cages. 

In  a  corner  of  the  barnyard  were  the  rabbit  hutches  against  the 
fence  barrier,  with  underground  corridors  boxed  in  wood,  covered 
with  galvanized  wire  netting  to  prevent  their  digging  out.  Near 
the  wrire  squirrel-house  containing  half  a  dozen  tame  flying  squirrels, 
and  built  large  enough  to  give  them  ample  freedom,  was  a  small  pool 
made  by  the  overflow  of  a  cattle  watering  trough,  which,  by  the 
way,  was  a  slightly  damaged  solid  porcelain  bathtub  with  square  ends, 
priced  at  $500  but  bought  for  $20.  It  weighed  eight  hundred  pounds, 
and  made  an  ideal  year  round  trough  for  the  cattle,  its  white  interior 
showing  the  slightest  befoulment  and  easily  hosed.  A  fir  tank  fastened 
together  with  iron  rods  cost  nearly  as  much,  soon  began  to  leak  under 
the  July  sun  and  in  a  few  years  completely  rotted,  and  a  brick  cement 
lined  affair  never  looked  as  spotless  as  our  bathtub  trough. 

A  portion  of  this  little  pool  in  the  barnyard,  protected  from 
cattle  intrusion  by  a  wire  fence,  was  generally  alive  with  turtles, 
the  largest  of  which  were  tethered.  They  were  taken  from  the 
duck  ponds,  from  the  big  snapper,  with  his  horny,  shingled  hide, 
guilty  of  many  a  duckling  or  gosling  murder,  to  the  daintily  painted 
little  black  and  yellow  spotted  lady-bird-crawler  no  larger  than  a  half 
dollar.  I  recall  one  old  moss-back  snapper  on  whose  shell  was 
scratched  the  date  1849,  proof  by  inference  not  only  of  turtle  longevity 
but  that  someone  hunted  turtles  on  or  near  our  farm  sixty  or  more 
years  ago. 

Catch-All  Shed. 

We  built  what  was  labeled  a  catch-all  shed,  with  a  driveway 
through  its  centre  to  accommodate  cumbersome  implements.  In  this 
way  ploughs,  harrows,  ponderous  scrapers,  etc.,  could  be  tumbled  off 
the  stone  boat  or  sled  and  dragged  out  of  sight.  Here  were  stored 
several  more  or  less  useless  experiments;  for  example,  the  iron  stump 
grubber  for  uprooting  grass  tufts  that  dotted  the  lowlands,  and 
that  proved  a  failure,  even  when  drawn  by  a  double  yoke  of  cattle, 
who  were  unable  to  budge  the  tiny  rootlets,  so  that  final  resort  was 
had  to  Patrick  and  a  spade.  It  wasn't  a  total  loss  as  it  made  a  fine 
subsoil  upheaver. 


60 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THE    COT 


ABDmCi  TO  THEIR  DOMICILE 


pousmrtd ''<•  (VROUHD5 


BEDFOOM 


THE    LUSTY    YOUNG  HOMESTAKERS. 


TODDLERS'  GARDEN  61 

An  emergency  corner  was  devoted  to  chains,  rope  ends,  straps, 
old  harness,  ox  yokes,  etc.,  while  duplicate  tools  and  odds  and  ends 
decorated  wall  and  collar  beams.  On  the  latter  were  stored  extra 
shafts — a  grand-dad  curved  back  and  dashboard,  carpet-lined  sleigh, 
and  other  hundred  and  ones. 

Circumventing  the  Sagging  Gate. 

The  problem  of  the  sagging  gate  fastening  was  solved  with  a 
Vermont  farmer's  device.  To  a  heavy  three-inch  jagged  edge  pronged 
staple  with  five-inch  opening  made  of  three-quarter  inch  iron  (two 
and  a  half  inches  above  its  centre  round  and  two  and  a  half  inches 
below  the  centre  square)  was  sprung  a  piece  of  half-inch  flat  iron 
about  five  inches  long  with  square  aperture.  The  round  portion 
of  the  iron  staple  being  of  smaller  diameter  than  the  square,  the 
flat  piece  turned  easily,  but  when  slipped  down  on  the  square  fitted 
tightly  and  held  the  flat  five-inch  fender  against  the  gate,  securely 
fastening  it. 

The  Boy's  Cabin. 

The  shack  built  by  the  younger  boy  was  on  the  same  ridge  and 
had  the  same  extensive  outlook  as  the  farm  house.  The  boy  builder 
named  it  "The  Cot,"  in  honor  of  his  grandsire's  roof-tree  at  Fresh 
Water  Cove  in  Gloucester,  Massachusetts,  built  before  that  "war 
that  tried  men's  souls." 

Two  berths,  a  kitchen,  a  rear  porch,  a  front  veranda,  and  a 
doorway  just  low  enough  to  hit  a  grown-up's  head,  were  what  the  cot 
inventoried.  The  lusty  young  homestaker  who  built  it,  from  sup- 
porting posts  to  Boston-shingled-ridge,  even  if  he  lives  man's  allotted 
years,  will  never  again  experience  such  joy  as  he  had  in  that  first 
house  warming,  nor  feel  greater  pride  than  when  he  surveyed  his 
first  wash.  Years  after,  a  heedless  farm  hand  let  a  brush  fire  get 
beyond  control,  and  The  Cot,  as  well  as  the  barns  wThich  once 
sheltered  our  prize  Dutch  belted  Taurus  and  the  rest  of  his  kind, 
who  stood  in  commendable  alphabetical  order  from  Arabella  to  Zoe, 
went  up  in  smoke,  a  calamity  that  covered  an  entire  page  in  our 
farm  record  book.  It  was  the  only  brush  fire  ever  started  in  my 
absence  and  insurance  had  lapsed  the  week  before. 

Toddlers'  Garden. 

The  Toddlers'  Garden  meant  absolute  safety,  entertainment,  and 
health  to  the  two  to  four  year  old  toddlers.  It  was  forty  feet  square, 
fenced  and  gated  with  close  meshed  wire,  and  screened  with  a  three 
foot  high  privet  hedge ;  in  one  corner  a  roof  and  four  posts,  in  the 
centre  a  sand  pile,  a  bit  of  greensward,  and  a  few  sturdy,  flowering 
plants.  Close  to  the  house  and  in  plain  view  of  a  dozen  or  more 
windows,  it  gave  the  tots  the  freedom  craved  and  the  contact  with 
Mother  Earth  needed,  and  completely  solved  one  of  the  most  aggra- 
vating problems  in  the  bringing  up  of  the  child. 


62 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


Wayside. 

A  brush  fire  razed  "Wayside,"  that  quaint  little  shack  with 
attic-stored  heirlooms,  from  the  great  four-poster,  and  its  convenient 
companion,  the  trundle-bed,  to  the  Washington  table.  It  also  served 
once  as  the  dog  on  which  we  tried  the  patent  wooden-board-lath, 
advertised  to  take  the  place  of  the  usual  mason's  lath.  One  of  its 
weak  points  was  that  unless  the  knots  were  shellacked  they  showed 
through  the  plaster  and  stained  the  walls  much  more  readily  than 
the  ordinary  lath.  It  also  had  less  clinching  strength.  The 
south  veranda  was  covered  in  four  months  by  that  wonderful  climber, 
the  Kudzu  vine,  which  lengthened  forty  feet  the  first  season,  and  on 
its  north  side,  where  the  winter  sun  could  not  burn  it,  the  English  ivy 
lived  through  the  coldest  winters.  Pinned  down  with  pegs  this  same 
ivy  greened  deeply  shadowed  banks  and  tree-dripped  spaces. 

Our  Mushroom  Venture. 

The  basement  half-above-ground-cellar  of  Wayside  was  double- 
doored  and  double-windowed,  and  shelved  and  binned  for  storage  of 
vegetables.  Here  too  were  kept  the  tub-plants,  among  them  the 
beautiful,  purple-blooming,  tropical-leaved  hydrangeas  that  lined  the 
drive  in  summer,  the  bay  trees  that  cornered  the  house,  the  brilliant 
scarlet  Hibiscus  cooperii,  and  an  oleander  twelve  feet  high,  a  legacy 
from  one  of  our  forbears.  A  half  dozen  fig  trees  also  found  a  hiber- 
nating home  in  that  elastic  vegetable  cellar,  and  one  corner  was 
partitioned  off  for  the  growing  of  mushrooms  in  a  modest  way  which 
required  the  use  of  a  small  heater.  The  inevitable  and  essential 
clutter  corner  held  its  usual  modicum  of  unsightly  but  useful  articles. 


THE  BACK  LANE. 


A  CIDERLESS  FARM  63- 

In  Wayside  was  the  office,  where  I  conferred  with  farm  help 
and  kept  dairy  and  expense  books.  The  veranda  afterward  added 
proved  a  wise  expenditure  and  was  well  patronized. 

Housing  Farm  Help. 

The  lounging  and  sleeping  quarters  of  the  help  were  also  in* 
Wayside,  and  here  they  had  their  meals  when  the  force  was  large, 
a  man  cook  being  employed. 

An  ante-room  was  turned  into  a  semi-sitting  room.  In  it  were 
a  fireplace,  lounge  and  easy  chairs,  a  large  table,  well  covered  with 
agricultural  and  other  papers,  and  hanging  shelves  filled  with  a  small 
but  instructive  farm  library. 

Farm  Scrap  Book. 

There  were  scrap-books  regularly  indexed,  each  devoted  to  a  dif- 
ferent topic — animals,  crops,  utensils,  farm  economies,  and  the  like, — 
for  which  some  of  the  help  were  interested  in  collecting  items.  On 
the  walls  hung  pictures  of  animals,  prize  vegetables,  etc. 

Above  this  sitting-room  were  bedrooms,  reached  both  from  with- 
out and  within. 

A  Ciderless  Farm. 

An  orgy  caused  by  the  use  of  hard  cider  decided  me  to  "mother" 
the  cider  into  vinegar,  sell  the  cider-press,  and  thereafter  feed  the 
surplus  apples  to  the  pigs  or  give  them  away  with  the  understanding 
that  they  were  not  to  be  used  for  cider.  Vinegar  making,  before  the 
German  twenty-four  hour  process  was  discovered,  we  found  a  long 
story.  After  the  half  filled  barrels  were  given  a  bit  of  "mother" 
(which  it  took  two  years  to  mature)  it  was  another  year  before  vine- 
gar spelled  cash. 

Wayside  annex  contained  a  thoroughly  warmed  tool  shop 
fitted  with  carpenter's  bench,  anvil,  forge,  lathe,  etc.,  and  sometimes 
after  an  absence  of  months  borrowed  tools  came  back  because  they 
were  ndelibly  marked  "Hillcrest  Farm"  on  metal  and  wood.  Oil 
kept  them  from  rusting  when  not  in  use. 

The  Tree  House. 

Close  by  Wayside  grew  the  tall  chestnut  in  whose  spreading 
top  for  a  dozen  years,  straddling  its  highest  crotch  and  defying  the 
wildest  storms,  clung  the  tree  house  of  the  same  youngster  who 
planned  and  built  The  Cot. 

The  Back  Lane. 

Yes,  one  edged  our  farm.  It  had  an  individuality  of  its  own. 
For  years  the  neighbors  had  called  it  "Break  Neck,"  "Sheep," 
or  "Hog  Hill,"  the  usual  names  for  a  back  country  hill.  Nar- 
rower than  the  highway,  the  tree  tops  sometimes  came  together 
and  skill  was  needed  by  the  passer-by  to  avoid  cat-briers  and 
blackberry  vines  that  hedged  it.  Here  the  real  freedom  of 


64 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


BQUIflHVRIES 


FALLS  THAT 

KALI-  AMD  BOIL  AMD 

.SURGE  AS  THEY  LEAF  ! 

OtfWARD    TOVJKPD  THE, 

SEA 


IK  THIS  WE,  BUILT  THE 
-       CROWI1EST   - 


SW1RUT1C.  OF  THE-  HALF   p-ROZEM  WATERS 


FIVE    VIEWPOINTS    ON    THE    FARM. 


GOD'S  FIRST  TEMPLES  65 

country  life  had  fullest  sway.  In  early  spring  its  borders  were 
yellowed  by  the  spice  bush,  and  in  the  fall  the  bloom  of  the  yellow 
witch  hazel  brightened  and  the  stag-horned  sumach  reddened  each 
rocky  weed-grown  hillock.  Occasionally  some  city  friend  of  pro- 
nounced sylvan  tastes  camped  out  in  one  of  the  three  or  four  shacks 
that  bespoke  man's  effort  to  people  the  wilderness  of  thorn,  thicket, 
and  wild  frost  grape  that  in  wanton  growth  crowded  the  narrow  way. 
Another  world  was  the  back  lane  and  a  stroll  through  it  part  of 
our  Sunday  program  both  summer  and  winter. 

God's  First  Temples. 

On  a  rising  knoll  centreing  our  biggest  hillside  grew  a  double 
score  of  majestic  swaying  pines  instancing  again  and  again  that  "the 
groves  were  God's  first  temples." 


OUR   ICE    FIELD    OUT   OF   COMMISSION. 

Our  Woodland  Paradise. 

It's  but  two  miles  'cross  country  to  the  wood  lot,  for  what  farm 
is  worthy  the  name  without  such  a  lot?  Its  approach  is  through 
a  rutty,  scratch-gravel,  rocky,  brier-grown  wood  or  ox-road,  a  right 
of  way  across  a  farmer's  cow-yard  and  someone's  pasture.  But 
the  wood  lot  stands  for  a  blazing  fire  of  birch,  chestnut,  hickory  and 
maple,  while  its  fauna  was  a  continual  surprise.  It  was  a  woodland 
paradise  for  partridges,  woodcocks,  gray  squirrels,  and  rabbits  galore. 
Its  glades  never  echoed  to  a  rifle  shot,  nor  was  the  steel  trap  and 
wire  or  horse  hair  snare  of  the  farmer  boy  ever  allowed  within  its 
forty  acres  surrounded  by  a  poacher-proof,  ten  foot  high,  gal- 
vanized wire  fence,  of  close  weave  at  the  bottom  and  arched  outward 
at  the  top. 


66 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


GIPSY    SPOT  AfiD    CHODREH 


DETAILS  OF  HUSBANDRY. 


FARM  BARRIERS 


67 


Deer  and  Trout. 

The  workmen  who  built  the  fence  enclosed,  quite  by  accident, 
a  pair  of  beautiful  deer.  Safe  from  the  hunter,  they  enjoyed  the 
freedom  of  the  woodland,  and  were  one  of  the  show  sights  of  the 
farm.  Its  trout  stream  in  season  always  insured  a  string  of  non- 
liver-fed  fish.  A  walk  'cross  country  to  our  wood  lot  was  a  favorite 
jaunt. 

Farm  Barriers. 

Neither  stone  wall  nor  wooden  fence  circumscribed  house  yard 
or  lawn;  when  necessary,  barriers  were  formed  by  hedges,  using  the 
California  privet  as  our  standby,  though  there  were  others  also  through 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  among  them 
a  glossy-leaved  laurel-willow,  whose  rampant  growth  was  made  com- 
pact by  severe  pruning,  also  spruces  and  hemlocks,  whose  branches, 
thus  compelled  to  sweep  groundward  in  graceful  curves,  formed  a 
close  mass  of  green  foliage  all  the  year.  A  row  of  purple  beeches  kept 
well  within  bounds  and  rounded  into  shape  was  as  beautiful  as  rare, 
but  like  the  oak  they  are  dead-leaf  trees.  The  thorn-branched  honey 
locust  in  one  field  and  the  osage  orange  in  another,  pruned  as  hedges, 
prevented  our  sheep  from  straying,  and  a  woven  wire  fence  hidden 
in  the  foliage  kept  out  marauding  dogs.  We  used  both  hemlock 
and  spruce,  in  preference  to  Arbor  Vitae.  In  a  corner  of  the  garden 
was  a  sweet  brier  hedge  which  perfumed  the  air  for  fully  one  hundred 
feet,  also  a  glorious  Rosa  rugosa  barrier,  and  near  the  latter  a  clump 
of  fine-fibred  Japanese  privet  pruned  into  examples  of  topiary  art. 


THE   SUMMER  STREAM — AUSABLE   CHASM,   JR. 


68 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THE    WINTER    TORRENT. 


FALLEN   GRANDEUR. 


NO  GULLIED,  WEED-FILLED  ROADS  69 

All  hedges  were  planted  in  double  or  triple  rows  to  make  com- 
pact growth  and  allow  of  artistic  pruning.  Many  shrubs  were 
readily  propagated  by  thrusting  the  prunings  into  the  ground  in  the 
shade  of  the  shrub  itself,  and  transplanting  in  the  open  the  following 
season. 

Several  beautiful  effects  in  privet  hedge  we  obtained  by  the  use 
of  the  ogee  curve  on  a  down  grade  corner,  in  this  case  planting  the 
tri-color.  A  very  docile  hedge  is  the  privet,  America's  general  substitute 
for  the  English  yew.  It  was  forced  to  assume  many  more  or  less 
attractive,  and,  in  some  cases,  grotesque  shapes  in  an  effort  to  get 
out  of  a  rut,  a  characteristic  wrhich  often  led  to  unnecessary  and 
possibly  unwise  but  interesting  expenditures.  The  sloping  top  of 
one  hedge  was  pruned  to  spell  Hillcrest.* 

Privet  edged  one  side  of  a  set  of  entrance  steps  and  was  trimmed 
to  match  each  step  outline,  it  also  solved  an  oft-met  horticultural  prob- 
lem by  its  thrifty  growth  under  shade.  Another  credit  for  privet 
was  gained  during  the  past  winter  by  the  delicately-fibred  Japanese 
variety  that  stood  with  impunity  an  occasional  bath  of  salt  spray. 

Barbarity  of  the  Wire  Barb. 

In  early  farming  days  we  ignorantly  used  cruel  barbed  wire 
fences,  but  a  wounded  colt  convinced  us  there  was  a  better  way, 
and  thereafter  squared  and  knotted  galvanized  wire  barriers  were 
substituted ;  these  were  graduated  upward  from  a  four-inch  to  a  ten- 
inch  mesh  and  scantling  nailed  atop  the  posts,  making  the  fence 
plainly  visible  to  the  galloping  colts.  When  using  trees  as  posts  for 
fencing  the  wire  was  stapled  to  wooden  blocks  nailed  to  the  trunk. 
As  it  grew,  the  wood  moved  outward,  and  trees  were  uninjured. 

Climber  and  trailer,  as  exampled  in  woodbine,  honeysuckle,  ram- 
bler rose,  and  the  wistaria,  one  of  our  earliest  and  latest  bloomers, 
beautified  the  ugliest  wire  fences.  The  more  delicate  climbers  of 
sparse  foliage  when  trained  on  sun-exposed  wires  sometimes  shriveled 
and  died. 

Roads  and  gutters  were  important  factors  in  our  effort  toward 
Arcadian  living,  and  to  them  were  given  much  time  and  thought. 
Weeds  growing  in  cobble-stone  gutters  along  the  highway  were  a 
problem,  but  a  dose  of  kerosene  oil  from  a  watering-pot  eliminated 
the  tedious  work  of  pulling.  One  application  was  generally  as  effi- 
cacious as  the  kill-weed  liquors. 

Splitting  Raindrops. 

Stone  gutters  on  farm  roads  were  dispensed  with  by  dumping 
and  spreading  on  the  centre  of  all  steep  inclines  trap  rock,  mixed 
chip  and  pigeon-egg  sizes.  In  this  way  the  falling  raindrops  scattered, 

*By  close  to  the  ground  pruning-  we  successfully  transplanted  a  fifty-year-old  privet 
hedge  some  thirty-five  years  ago  and  it  is  today  a  compact  thrifty  wall  of  verdure  over  eighty 
years  old. 


70 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


HIU.CRE.ST  TAPJ1 

SWIRLING    RAPIDS    OF    OUR   RIVER   FRONT 


A  FORES  T  CA  THEDRAL  7 1 

so  that  even  in  a  fairly  heavy  shower  we  had  no  washed  roadways, 
for  the  rain  trickled  between  the  small  stones,  leaving  roads  and 
gutters  practically  uninjured. 

Our  River. 

The  river  that  bordered  the  farm  and  the  brook  that  centred 
it  both  had  attractions.  Damming,  controlled  by  a  suitable  spill- 
way, made  possible  both  fishing  and  canoeing  on  a  small  scale,  the 
pond  obtained  being  about  six  hundred  feet  long  and  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  wide.  From  it  we  filled  the  ice  house,  built  to  include 
a  storage  room  with  sawdust-packed  walls  for  keeping  fruits,  vege- 
tables and  sides  of  meat.  As  I  recollect,  the  cost  of  stocking  it  was 
about  $3.00  per  ton,  convenience  being  its  largest  asset.  Shrubbery 
and  vines  screened  it  from  the  sun. 

Where  the  river  dashed  through  a  deep  ravine,  we  hung  a  gallery 
from  the  cliffside,  supported  by  iron  pipes  sealed  with  melted  sulphur 
poured  into  holes  which  our  man-of-all-work  drilled  in  the  rock  face 
of  the  cliff,  as  shown  in  the  summer  and  winter  photographs.  This 
gallery  was  floored  with  two-inch  fir  planks  laid  with  half-inch 
spaces  to  retard  too  ready  decay. 

Suspension  Bridge. 

The  rapid  stream  was  spanned  with  a  suspension  bridge,  the 
supporting  side  chains  of  which  were  inset  in  the  ledges,  and  for  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  along  the  rugged  shore  a  footpath  skirted 
the  foaming  rapids.  On  the  east  side  a  high  rocky  cliff  towered 
almost  perpendicularly  for  one  hundred  feet,  its  face  broken  by  pro- 
jecting crags  and  huge  boulders,  while  at  the  foot  grew  tall  evergreens. 

A  Forest  Cathedral. 

This  picturesque  path  led  into  an  amphitheatre  or  forest 
cathedral  of  lofty  hemlocks.  A  friend  built  a  concrete  ford  edged 
with  cement  stepping  stones  across  this  same  river  which  for  heavy 
trucking  was  preferable,  less  expensive  and  more  durable  than  a 
bridge. 

Not  far  from  our  Ausable  Jr.  was  the  farm  brook  which  gave  an 
eagerly  improved  opportunity  for  a  trio  of  small  duck  ponds  at 
descending  levels,  where  one  of  the  boys  rigged  up  a  miniature  water- 
wheel.  In  one  pond  rose  a  wee  bit  of  an  island  on  which  was  a  duck 
house.  These  shallows  provided  safe  recreation  for  the  young  folks  the 
year  around.  The  gold  fish  with  which  we  attempted  to  stock  it 
were  foully  murdered  in  a  single  night.  The  criminals?  They  may 
have  been  that  1849  snapping  turtle,  our  water  fowl,  or  piratical 
members  of  the  finny  tribe — at  all  events,  gold  fish  were  never  again 
placed  in  pools  fed  by  unweired  running  streams  or  left  without  care. 


72  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


BITS    OP    THE    TWO-MILE    FLORAL    BORDER 


ALFALFA  ROAD  TO  INDEPENDENCE  73 

The  Tornado. 

In  our  twenty  years  of  farming  I  recall  two  terrific  tornadoes 
which  uprooted  and  even  snapped  asunder  many  mighty  monarchs 
of  the  forest.  It  took  months  of  hard  labor  to  clear  woodland  and 
hillside  pastures  after  a  five-minute  gust  of  one  of  these  devastating 
storms.  It  is  singular  that  among  thousands  of  uprooted  trees  I 
have  seen  in  this  and  other  storms,  not  one  struck  a  house,  though 
often  they  fall  when  close  to  a  dwelling. 

The  Play  Side  of  Farming. 

But  it  was  by  no  means  all  work  in  Farmarcadia,  as  shown 
in  snap-shots  taken  by  the  boys,  which  include  toboggan  slide,  pond, 
snow-houses  and  snow  men,  play-houses,  sports,  and  pets  of  all  kinds. 
In  the  meanwhile  the  arboretum  grew  apace,  from  a  few  struggling 
shrubs  to  a  two-mile  flowered  border.  In  this  the  old  farm  begins 
to  lose  its  identity,  slowly  merging  into  The  Hillcrest  Manor  Park 
of  today,  an  evolution  that  required  over  half  a  score  of  years  for  its 
accomplishment. 

Farmers'  Grange. 

In  closing  the  chapter  in  my  life  wherein  I  really  farmed,  I 
would  fain  pay  my  respects  to  the  Farmers'  Grange.  Deeply  inter- 
esting were  these  dueling  grounds  where  green  striplings,  with  the 
courage  born  of  inexperience  and  ignorance,  but  often  with  cabal- 
headed  persistency,  threw  down  the  gauntlet  to  bronzed  warriors 
of  hay  and  potato  fields.  It  must  be  admitted  that  in  these  bouts 
those  to  the  manor  born  were  generally  victors,  though  at  times 
some  new  fangled  agricultural  tool,  a  prolific  seed  corn  or  luscious 
melon,  and  an  improved  method  of  cultivation  brought  to  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Grange  by  some  amateur  spendthrift-enthusiast  finally 
won  out. 

Alfalfa  Road  to  Independence. 

I  recollect  one  chap  who  advocated  alfalfa  growing,  and  had  all 
the  farmers  by  the  ears  with  his  wonderful  tales  of  the  fine  crops  he 
grew  for  cow,  horse  and  poultry  fodder.  He  explained  that  the  suc- 
cessful growing  of  alfalfa  consists  in  keeping  weeds  out  of  the  soil  by 
repeated  cultivation  prior  to  seed-sowing,  which,  in  our  climate,  should 
be  about  August  15,  and  in  supplying  plenty  of  lime.  Experience 
taught  that  an  interesting  and  important  item  is  the  inoculation 
of  the  soil  at  the  rate  of  three  bushels  to  the  acre  with  soil  which 
has  already  grown  alfalfa.  It  must  be  sandy  or  gravelly  loam,  writh 
no  rocks  nor  clayey  sub-soil,  a  difficult  condition  to  find  in  Hillcrest 
Manor.  Planted  thus  the  roots  delve  sometimes  to  a  depth  of  twenty 
feet  or  more,  and  the  field  will  last  a  lifetime,  yielding,  under  favor- 
ing conditions,  three  or  four  crops  each  year. 


74  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

This  was  one  of  the  many  experiments  of  the  amateur  which 
made  the  men  of  the  soil  at  times  give  even  a  city  greenhorn  his  due. 

In  these  winter  evening  meetings,  a  simple  discussion  often 
developed  into  a  battle  royal  over  the  method  of  running  a  silo;  to 
weight  or  not  to  weight,  whether  it  was  wise  to  feed  horses  on 
ensilage  or  injurious  to  man  to  feed  pigs  on  brewery  grains,  what 
were  the  best  paying  crops,  also  irrigation  and  crop  succession,  what 
kind  of  green  soiling  was  the  best  and  the  correct  proportions  of 
lime,  muck,  and  nitrates  to  make  a  sand  dune  rival  in  fertility  the 
drained  river  bottom  lands. 

To  enter  the  realm  of  insect  fighting,  including  the  elm  beetle 
and  gypsy  moth,  as  well  as  diseases  that  are  killing  the  apple,  peach, 
pear,  chestnut  and  walnut  trees,  the  proper  scraping  and  tarring  of 
trees,  etc.,  was  to  run  the  risk  of  prolonging  the  discussion  until 
morning  milking  time.* 

The  County  Fair. 

The  County  Fair  was  the  climax  of  enjoyment,  prepared  for 
and  looked  forward  to  for  months.  The  farmer's  calendar 
in  many,  to  him,  important  matters  dates  either  forward  or  backward 
from  the  County  Fair.  In  it  the  farmer's  family  also  have  some  slight 
recreation,  the  wives  and  daughters,  who  feel  the  heavy  burden  of 
house  chores  and  farm  housekeeping,  the  monotonous  grinding  routine 
of  which  brings  many  to  the  verge  of  insanity — indeed,  statistics  are 
said  to  prove  that  the  inmates  of  insane  asylums  include  a  large 
percentage  from  the  farm.  A  brain  saver  and  a  brain  builder  is  the 
change  of  thought  and  ambition  to  excel  that  come  so  largely  through 
the  County  Fair.  All  hail  to  it  and  its  prizes,  rewards  of  merit  and 
honorable  mention,  desperately  fought  for  and  on  rare  occasions  won. 

Serious  Symptoms  of  Building  Mania. 

Thus  in  my  musings,  I  trace  the  beginnings  of  Hillcrest  Manor 
when  it  comprised  but  potato  and  hay  fields  and  wild  pasture  land, 
with  a  single  homestead  crowning  the  hill.  The  building  mania  even 
then  throbbed  in  our  veins  and  tugged  at  purse  strings. 

The  Last  Stand  Against  the  Insect  World. 

The  yellows  began  to  claim  their  prey  in  the  peach  orchard, 
and  apple  blight,  assisted  by  the  predatory  coddling  moth,  scarred 
fruit  and  limb  and  sapped  the  heart's  life  from  many  a  noble  tree. 
The  black  knot  seemed  to  grow  again  in  a  single  night  on  plum 
and  quince,  and  our  hay  crop  was  being  steadily  throttled  by 
Canada  thistle,  white  daisy  and  wild  carrot.  But  emancipation  was 
dawning  in  the  rapid  growth  of  shrubbery,  trees  and  vines  on  all 
building  sites  as  well  as  in  the  arboretum.  That  two-mile  floral 

*Tanglefoot  as  a  barrier  was  voted  a  better  insect  discourager  than  bod  lime  which 
sometimes  blights  the  tree. 


SERIO US  SYMPTOMS  OF  BUILDING  MANIA        75 

ribbon  took  on  added  beauty,  and,  as  the  years  passed,  seemed  to 
fairly  shout  development. 

The  time  was  ripe,  and  I  began  in  earnest  to  work  out  my  villa 
dream,  closely  identified  with  which  is  the  arboretum,  tying  our 
Farmarcadia  together. 

Does  it  pay  to  have  no  recreation  gaps  between  the  working 
hours,  hours  that  crowd  each  other  hard  in  the  mad  rush  to  accom- 
plish ?  A  genuine  burden-bearer — one  forced  by  circumstances  to  be 
a  pack-horse-treadmill-worker — loved  to  quote  the  well  known  lines: 

"Better  fifty  years  of  Europe  than  a  cycle  of  Cathay." 

Many  a  man  in  these  strenuous  days  whose  obituary  gives  his 
age  as  less  than  fifty  years,  has  lived  full  five  centuries,  gauged  by  a 
slow  moving  past.  Activity  is  joy,  and  roadways  blocked  with  worries 
and  wearing  responsibilities,  when  met  in  the  right  spirit,  become 
broad  highways  illumined  from  the  source  of  all  light. 

"God's  in  His  Heaven,  all's  right  with  the  world." 


76 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


AH  IDEAL  UHDER-HU1  HOUSt 


A     WIDE     RANGE. 


BUILDING  SITES  77 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE    EVOLUTION    OF    FARMARCADIA    INTO  HILLCREST    MANOR, 
BEGINNING   WITH   THE   ARBORETUM — TREE    PLANTING — 
ANYWHERE    PLANTS — WONDER   TREE — HORTICULTURAL 
ALPHABET — POETS'    CORNER — PRUNING — BLUE    RIB- 
BON    SEVEN  —  FOREST     THINNING  —  MAPLE 
SUGAR  HARVEST — BUGS  AND  BUTTERFLIES — 
"YARBS" — WILD  GARDEN — BOGLAND — 
TRY-OUT  NURSERY. 

"God  the  first  garden  made,  and  the  first  city  Cain." 

THESE  pages  include  not  only  the  planting  scheme  of  the 
arboretum  and  fruticetum  but  a  more  or  less  complete  descrip- 
tion of  their  growth.  In  our  lettered  plan  a  diamond  stands  for  an 
evergreen,  a  circle  for  deciduous  trees,  a  triangle  for  herbaceous 
plants,  while  the  figures  within  the  symbol  refer  to  an  alphabetically 
indexed  reference  map  and  book,  which  give  the  name  and  location 
of  each  plant — evergreen,  deciduous,  herbaceous,  perennial,  and  bien- 
nial, interspersed  and  varied  from  year  to  year  with  bright  hued 
annuals  raised  from  seed,  root,  or  cutting. 

Plants  were  so  placed  that  the  taller  backgrounded  the  low- 
growing  varieties,  while  color  arrangement  in  planting  was  care- 
fully considered  both  for  summer  and  winter  effects,  the  red  branches 
of  the  dogwood,  for  instance,  contrasting  effectively  with  the  bright 
yellow  growth  of  the  willows  and  the  pea-green  stalks  of  the  kerria. 
backed  by  silver  white  birches  that  in  turn  fronted  evergreens. 
These  were  in  rare  accord  on  glamored  winter  days  "wherein 
the  air  bit  shrewdly"  and  later  prolonged  the  "uncertain  glory  of  an 
April  day."  Did  I  plant  them  all?  Yes  every  one,  and  nurtured 
them  like  children.  No  night  was  too  dark  for  me  to  locate  this  or 
that  shrub  and  tree. 

Building  Sites. — Plantings. 

Each  desirable  building  site  was  planted  to  beautify  future  lawns 
and  develop  vistas,  aided  by  ornamental  trees  and  shrubs,  while  along 
the  highway  frontage  every  fifty  feet  were  set  Wier's  cut-leaf  maples, 
forming  a  verdure-roofed  roadway. 

Retinosperas  and  Biotas,  both  plain  and  variegated,  broad  and 
feathery-leaved;  the  tropical  looking  empress  tree  (Paulownia 
imperialis),  the  queenly  Chinese  magnolia,  and  its  American  relative 
the  cucumber  tree,  glorious  rhododendrons,  azaleas,  and  the  rare 
plants  that  Japan  has  poured  in  such  prodigal  profusion  over  our 
land,  we  planted  by  the  hundred. 


78 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


The  Horticultural  Sextette,  or  Anywhere  Plants. 

Twenty-five  years  ago  the  ordinary  village  home  boasted  a 
wistaria  over  the  front  door,  a  clematis  on  veranda  post,  and  a 
few  scattered  lilacs,  spireas  and  weigelas  on  lawns  or  backgrounding 
box-edged  walks  and  alleys.  Today  among  hundreds  of  new  varieties 
the  poorest  can  afford  the  following  six  glorious  and  inexpensive 
plants:  Ampelopis  veitchii  (Boston  or  Japanese  Ivy),  California 
privet,  Thunbergii  berberis,  Hydrangea  paniculata  grandi-flora, 
the  rambler  rose — preferably  the  crimson  and  pink  rather  than 
the  yellow  and  white,  or  that  "agin  natur"  novelty  of  novelties,  a 
blue  rose,  the  latest  rambler  to  climb  the  fence  which  encloses  the 
queen  of  flowers — and  Rudbeckia  laciniata  or  golden  glow.  Ampelop- 
sis  and  Rudbeckia  we  grew  satisfactorily  from  seed. 

The  above  plants  will  transform  hedge  rows,  unsightly  boulders, 
stumps,  and  even  uncouth  architecture  into  curves  and  lines  of  beauty. 

Four  main  rules  guided  us  in  the  laying  out  and  care  of  the 
arboretum : 

1.  Drainage,  deep  digging  and  enriched  soil. 

2.  Knee,  hand  and  foot  work  in  straightening  roots  and  pressing 
the  earth  between  and  about  them  when  planting  stock. 

3.  Pruning  when  planting,  also  at  any  time  when  not  too  wet  or 
cold  to  work  comfortably  (except  those  in  which  sap  flows  freely,  as 
in  the  maple  and  some  vines,  especially  the  grape).   A  convenient  time 
for    the    worker    was    the    main    consideration    rather    than    season. 


THE    WONDER   TREE. 


THE  WONDER  TREE  79 

A  somewhat  broad  and  radical  statement  which  must  not  be  construed 
to  mean  that  bleeding,  bloom,  and  fruitage  should  not  be  considered, 
as  shown  in  cutting  back  grape,  rose,  hydrangea,  and  such  plants 
as  bloom  profusely  on  new  growth  (a  point  to  be  carefully  guarded), 
but,  broadly  speaking,  we  found  time  of  year  a  secondary  consid- 
eration. 

Tree  and  Shrub  Planting  and  Watering. 

4.  We  never  watered  except  during  the  act  of  planting,  or  in 
some  killing  drought.  Why  coddle  the  roots,  teaching  them  to  seek 
the  surface  for  a  daily  drink  which  is  sure  to  be  withheld  in  a  moment 
of  forgetfulness.  Let  them  work  their  passage,  dig  downward  in  the 
soil,  assist  by  cultivation  and  mulching,  but  do  not  pauperize.  Learn 
the  stern  lesson  taught  by  the  fairly  thrifty,  asphalt-covered  roots  of  the 
city-grown  tree.  Rough  treatment,  but  it  proves  the  statement.  In  the 
case  of  plants  treated  as  annuals,  and  in  succulent  growths  which 
require  cascades  of  water  to  attain  their  prodigious  size,  like  the 
canna,  the  ricinus,  the  elephant's  ear,  and  many  perennial  grasses, 
submit  to  the  slavery  if  you  crave  the  result,  but  let  the  hard  wooded 
trees  and  shrubs  grub  for  their  living.  If  watering  is  an  actual  neces- 
sity to  save  the  life  of  the  plant,  let  it  be  a  thorough  drenching,  then 
mulch,  and  only  repeat  under  dire  need. 

As  a  rule,  herbaceous  plants  were  separated  by  cutting  or 
dividing  in  two  offshoot,  clump,  and  rhizome,  and  replanting  every 
three  or  four  years,  soil  being  renewed  and  enriched.  New  stock  was 
thus  gained  with  which  to  enlarge  the  floral  kingdom. 

Petal,  stamen,  stigma,  anther,  pollen,  ovule,  calyx,  sepal,  and 
corolla  became  household  words  in  that  first  winter  of  study  after 
buying  the  farm.  Evening  after  evening  we  dissected  plant  and 
flower,  first  the  green  sepalled  calyx,  then  the  petals  of  the  corolla, 
so  thoroughly  protecting  the  pollen  bags  or  anthers  which  nestle 
within,  and  lastly  the  long  pistil  with  its  three  essential  parts,  the 
viscid  ended  stigma,  ever  ready  to  grasp  pollen  from  the  legs  or  bodies 
of  visiting  insects  and  carry  it  through  the  style  to  the  waiting 
ovules.  When  hyla  and  catkin  heralded  the  arrival  of  spring  with 
feverish  haste  we  haunted  bog,  wood,  meadow,  and  hillside  to  test 
book  knowledge  in  field  practice. 

The  Wonder  Trees  of  the  Pinetum. 

Early  in  Farmarcadian  days  we  developed  a  love  for  trees, 
and  planted  over  one  hundred  thousand  trees,  shrubs,  vines,  and  herba- 
ceous plants  in  Hillcrest  Manor,  prominence  being  given  to  that 
wonder  tree,  the  evergreen,  which  even  when  weighted  with  glittering 
ice  or  fleecy  snow,  sways  gracefully,  unscathed  by  biting  blast  and 
unscorched  by  arid  heat,  symbolizing  everlasting  life,  while  fast 
growing  maple  and  sturdy  oak  are  absolutely  dead  for  half  the  year. 


80  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

Among  our  plantings  of  feature  trees  in  the  ranks  of  the  weepers 
were  willows,  birches,  mulberries,  lilacs,  cherries,  hazels,  dogwoods, 
the  light  green  tufted  Taxodium  distichum,  and  elm  and  moun- 
tain ash,  while  among  the  cut-leaf  were  beech,  birch,  maple  and 
sumach. 

In  the  seven  rainbow  colors  lined  up  the  maples,  as  seen  in  the 
varied  shades  of  cut-leaved  green,  tri-color,  gold,  silver,  purple 
and  red,  while  our  golden  oak  was  a  blue-blood  tree. 

In  poplars  were  also  gold  and  silver  and  in  the  low-growing  filbert 
the  purple.  These  and  many  more  yearly  put  forth  leaf  and  blossom 
to  gladden  all  who  passed  their  way. 

Tree  Outlines. 

Each  season  brought  its  nature  study  hours — the  different  shades 
of  green  in  the  spring,  the  depth  of  color  in  summer,  and  the  glorious 
kaleidoscopic  changes  in  autumn,  but  in  clear  winter  days  we  could 
best  study  tree  outlines  which  centred  about  the  two  great  divisions, 
excurrent,  or  straight  trunk  to  the  top,  as  in  pin  oak  and  poplar ;  and 
the  more  abundant  deliquescent,  as  seen  in  the  trunk  divided  limbs  of 
elm  and  willow.  The  bark  named  the  tree  and  pointed  to  the  pole 
as  surely  as  the  star. 

We  crossed  the  threshold  of  one  of  the  most  interesting  of 
nature's  doorways  when  on  a  crisp  December  morning  by  starting  into 
the  woodland  to  learn  the  names  of  the  leafless  trees.  Gracefully 
branched  maple,  towering  elm,  and  shagbark  slivered  hickory  lined 
up  and  answered  promptly  as  well  as  the  spotted  plane  tree,  silver 
sheened  birch  and  clean  smooth  limbed  beech.  It  was  child's  play  to 
niche  the  evergreens  but  the  vast  majority  of  the  trees  seemed  a 
sealed  book,  yet  ere  willow  and  maple  flowered  we  had  mastered  one 
secret  of  the  woodland  through  bark,  trunk,  and  limb. 

Horticultural  Alphabet. 

We  strove  to  grow  at  least  a  single  specimen  of  all  plants  found 
in  nurseries  from  one  end  of  our  country  to  the  other  that  our  climate 
and  soil  would  support  Careful  planning  and  thorough  cultivation 
gave  us  a  rare  anthology  of  flowers,  and  it  was  surprising  how  many 
grew  to  maturity,  spite  of  infant  diseases,  and  indefatigable,  virulent 
enemies,  but  the  nursery  was  a  grand  tree  and  shrub  feeder,  and  from 
it  were  replaced  all  dead  or  sickly  plants.  The  bare  ground  could 
scarcely  be  discerned  through  swirl  of  leaf  and  bloom  that  glorified 
the  arboretum.  Where  it  could  be  done  to  advantage,  we  planted 
thickly  to  get  immediate  results ;  notably  in  the  chubby,  fibrous-rooted 
chaps,  easy  movers ;  and  sparsely  in  long,  tap-rooted  species  that 
uproot  grudgingly,  filling  the  spaces  with  the  former.  When  elbows 
touched,  a  Patrick,  a  spade  and  a  wheelbarrow,  together  with  an 
overcast  day  and  seventy-five  per  cent,  prospect  of  rain  almost 
invariably  reclaimed  additional  land  to  floral  possibilities,  and  the 


PINEAPPLE  CLOTH  81 

giving  of  needed  air  and  sunshine  speedily  lengthened  stems  and 
branches  of  those  that  remained.  Low  growing  box  hedged  the 
walks  in  the  Colonial  garden  while  high  growing  varieties  were 
clipped  into  varied  ornamental  shapes. 

Beautiful  was  the  spring  awakening  of  Flora  in  the  arboretum. 
The  swelling  pussy  willows,  cowl-crowned  skunk  cabbage  whose 
broad  green  shafts  seek  the  sunlight,  and  presage  the  rare  spring 
blooming  of  snowdrop  and  crocus,  and  a  bit  later  the  yellow  of  the 
forsythia,  often  fringed  with  the  damp  spring  snow,  its  branches 
readily  blooming  wThen  cut  and  put  in  water,  or  forced  ahead  of 
time  in  our  hot-beds,  all  did  their  part  toward  vanquishing  win- 
ter. Then  came  the  pink-hued  daphne  and  onward  through  the  full- 
ness of  bloom  of  spring,  summer  and  fall,  until  we  reach  the  witch- 
hazel,  that  last  bloomer,  the  strange  shrub  that  waits  to  adorn  itself 
in  yellow  finery  after  it  has  been  denuded  of  its  leaves,  and  gives  its 
life-blood  to  ease  the  pain  of  humanity.  Under  the  warming  rays 
of  the  sun,  this  botanical  catapult  shoots  the  contents  of  its  seed  pods 
twenty  feet  or  more  somewhat  in  the  same  way  as  in  continuance 
of  life  the  poplar,  a  true  anemophilous  tree,  explodes  anther  bags 
of  pollen  which,  borne  on  the  wings  of  the  wind,  reaches  its  consort 
tree  before  leaf  growth  can  thwart  its  mission.  The  Chinese  witch 
hazel  was  in  the  front  rank  of  our  late  winter  flowering  shrubs. 

The  Banner  Shrub. 

What  family  of  shrubs  do  I  most  enjoy?  If  a  choice  must  be 
made,  give  me  the  Viburnum,  that  fructifies  in  berries  of  white,  black, 
coral  and  scarlet,  and  whose  flowers  and  foliage  vary  greatly  in  size 
and  color.  Viburnum  rhytidophyllum  and  Viburnum  Davidii  were 
evergreen  crowns  of  glory  'mid  their  fellows. 

The  wand-like  red-berried  Indian  currants  and  Cornelian  cher- 
ries we  placed  in  the  arboretum  to  contrast  strongly  with  the  some- 
what straggly  growth  of  the  snowberry.  Fronting  these  were 
Japanese  iris,  the  'Kempferi,  whose  eyes  of  purple  and  white,  bronze 
and  yellow,  peer  out  at  one  between  their  flag-like  leaves  like  enor- 
mous spitz  dog-faced  pansies.  Spain,  Germany  and  Siberia  were  all 
taxed  to  fill  out  our  iridescent  fleur-de-lis  patchwork  quilt. 

Beyond  the  beds  of  iris  grew  stately  agaves  (century  plant) 
many  of  them  variegated,  and  near  by  in  serried  columns  the  yucca, 
familiarly  called  the  Spanish  bayonet  or  dagger  or  Adam's  needle, 
with  its  wand-like  stalks  of  white,  bell-capped  flowers,  nodded  to  us 
as  it  did  to  the  cliff  dwellers  who  once  spun  and  wove  into  clothing  the 
threads  that  dangle  from  the  spike-like  leaves,  as  is  done  today  in 
the  far  off  Philippines  from  the  foliage  of  the  pineapple.* 

®To  many  the  Yucca  thread  woven  garments  of  the  cliff  dweller  shown  in  our  museums 
are  of  keen  interest. 


82  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

Pineapple  Cloth. 

Many  a  New  England  housewife  in  olden  times  robed  her- 
self for  "meetin'  "  in  the  yellow  pineapple  cloth  brought  from  across 
the  water. 

Among  the  yuccas  grew  the  fiery,  yellow-hearted,  red-jacketed 
red-hot-poker-plant,  the  tritoma,  or  torch  lily,  and  from  the  shores 
of  the  Sound  a  batch  of  prickly  pears  was  transplanted  that  looked 
like  a  bed  of  hardy,  creeping  cacti.  In  doing  this  we  encountered 
for  the  first  time  the  wood-jigger,  that  buries  itself  beneath  the  skin 
and  revels  in  eating  it  in  chunks.  A  soaking  in  hot  water  and  rough 
treatment  with  a  scrub  brush  dislodged  the  intruder,  but  he  left 
unpleasant  memories. 

One  shrub  section  included  the  graceful  leaved  Desmodium, 
the  fragrant  strawberry  shrub  (the  calycanthus),  the  bush  honey- 
suckle, Japan  quince,  sweet  pepper  bush,  colutea,  Persian  and  Japanese 
lilac,  English  holly,  and  Styrax  japonica, 

The  Poets'  Corner. 

The  Poets'  Corner  was  edged  by  a  border  of  narcissi. 

"Who  loves  a  garden  still  his  Eden  keeps" 

was  well  exampled  in  this  little  plot  where  were  seed-grown  plants 
from  Stratford-on-Avon  to  Kendal  Green  and  Abney  Park,  and  from 
Pere  la  Chaise  to  the  Florentine  and  Roman  "God's  Acres"  that  front 
the  Porta  la  Pinta  and  Porta  san  Paola. 

Many  friends  encouraged  this  fancy,  sending  rare  specimens. 
One  enthusiast  mailed  a  few  grains  that  had  lain  dormant  wrapped 
with  a  mummy  for  two  thousand  years  in  a  Theban  tomb,  but  truth 
compels  the  statement  that  Connecticut  soil  and  prodigious  care  failed 
to  bring  them  to  life. 


LEAVES   OF   THE    OAK  OF   MAMRE.       (Actual   size.) 

On  March  9,  1870,  I  stood  under  an  enormous  oak  tree,  one  of 
the  very  few  Abraham's  oaks,  or  oaks  of  Mamre  remaining  at  that 
time  on  the  Plains  of  Mamre  in  Bethlehem  of  Judea.  The  giant 
of  this  group  was  close  to  ten  feet  in  diameter,  a  guarantee  of  its 
great  age.  It  was  undoubtedly  alive,  and  may  have  been  an  old  tree 
when  King  Herod  sent  forth  his  fiendish  edict  to  slay  the  children 
of  Judea. 


THE  POETS'  CORNER  83 

This  mighty  tree's  progenitors  sheltered  Abraham  and  his  flocks 
when  they  came  up  from  Egypt  to  possess  the  land. 

"Then  Abraham  removed  his  tent  and  came  and  dwelt 
in  the  Plains  of  Mamre,  which  are  in  Hebron,  and  built  an 
altar  unto  the  Lord."  Genesis  XIII,  18. 

The  memory  of  those  huge  sheltering  oaks  of  Mamre,  the  scene 
of  his  joyous  entrance  into  Hebron,  stayed  with  the  patriarch  Abra- 
ham until  the  end,  and  in  the  cave  of  Macphelah,  almost  within  their 
shadow,  according  to  his  dying  behest,  the  stricken  Israelites  buried 
their  revered  leader.  Here  also,  in  this  family  rock  tomb  in  natural 
sequence,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  his  son  and  grandson,  found  a  final  resting 
place  near  these  same  mighty  trees  that  Abraham  loved. 

I  picked  the  above  peculiar  leaves  that  spring  morning  from 
the  only  one  of  the  Mamre  oaks  now  left,  which  is,  I  am  told,  the  only 
mature  specimen  of  its  species  in  the  world.  Perhaps  we  kept  the 
half  dozen  acorns  too  long  before  planting,  for  they  refused 
to  germinate,  though  they  received  more  care  than  any  other  seeds 
in  the  Poets'  Corner,  and  di-appointment  number  twenty  was 
entered  on  the  debit  side  of  the  ledger  page  marked  "Experiments," 
under  which  caption  we  chronicled  successes  and  failures  in  Farm- 
arcadia. 

The  Tree. 

The  best  epitome  of  human  life  in  nature  is  the  tree,  so  closely 
symbolizing  birth,  growth,  beauty,  strength;  sturdily  withstanding 
blast  and  storm,  until,  like  an  old  man  bowed  with  a  century  of  work, 
the  roots  loosen,  the  top  breaks,  the  trunk  splits  asunder,  and  worm 
and  mold  attack  that  which,  having  performed  its  work,  must 
submit  to  dissolution  and  readjustment,  as  Dr.  Holmes  realistically 
pictures: 

"Now  his  nose  is  thin, 
And  it  rests  upon  his  chin 

Like  a  staff ; 

And  a  crook  is  in  his  back 
And  a  melancholy  crack 
In  his  laugh." 

Joys  of  Pruning. 

Immediately  after  the  tree  was  planted,  its  metho'dical  care 
began,  but  it  was  rarely  arduous  work;  a  lopped  off  limb;  an 
uprooting  of  the  suckering  sprouts,  a  thinning  of  the  branches, 
made  a  thing  of  beauty  of  what  might  have  been  supreme  ugliness. 
Neglect  of  the  pruning  knife,  with  too  close  planting,  will  absolutely 
ruin  the  most  attractive  tree.  One  of  our  greatest  pleasures  was  that 
of  pruning.  To  let  in  air  and  sunlight;  to  spread  out  the  spindler, 
and  train  upward  the  low  grower;  to  cut  out  the  leprous  black  knot 


84  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

in  the  plum  and  quince — almost  a  herculean  task  after  neglect  had 
allowed  the  disease  to  gain  headway — to  remove  cancer-rot  from  the 
older  trees,  paint  the  bruised  wood  and  then  fill  the  cavity  with  cement ; 
and  to  fasten  with  iron  rods  controlled  by  turnbuckles  the  large  limbs 
that  threatened  to  split  away  from  the  parent  stem,  but  which  with 
care  would  live  for  years, — all  this  was  most  fascinating. 

Haphazard  Forest  Thinning. 

No  ruthless  gang  of  wood  choppers  cleared  our  woods,  for  an 
hour  of  ignorant  labor  might  have  destroyed  the  matchless  growth  of 
many  years,  so  we  blazed  for  cutting  such  trees  as  checked  the  develop- 
ment of  the  best,  but  allowed  among  others  dogwood,  laurel  and 
sassafras,  as  well  as  bitter  sweet  and  native  clematis  (virgin's  bower) 
to  grow  as  nature  willed.* 

The  cup-shaped  tulip,  with  its  cone  shaft  of  verdure;  the  fra- 
grant, sturdy,  right-angle  growth  of  the  sassafras — even  the  scarred 
and  blotched  buttonwood  or  sycamore,  which  is  a  veritable  giant,  as  we 
in  the  east  know  trees,  and  gives  up  in  a  day  its  first  crop  of  delicate 
green  leaves  to  its  inveterate  fungus  enemy,  then  immediately  reclothes 
its  denuded  branches — were  all  represented  on  the  farm. 

The  maple  family  in  varied  form  and  coloring  has  few  peers, 
from  the  dwarf,  split-thread-leaf  maples  of  Japan,  some  of  which 
retain  their  form  for  weeks  after  being  picked,  through  all  their 
varieties  of  gold  and  crimson  to  the  graceful  native  maples  that  dot 
our  landscape,  and  again  the  variegated  vicing  in  color  with  the  varie- 
gated arbutilon,  among  others  the  purple  maple  with  its  blood  red 
under  leaf,  the  tri-striped  bark  variety,  also  Wier's  cut-leaf,  of  rapid 
growth,  with  gracefully  festooned  branches,  its  only  bitter  enemy  the 
"four  winds  of  heaven." 

"Clean  as  a  maple"  was  rarely  a  misnomer.  All  were  grace- 
ful and  beautiful  whether  seen  in  massed  outline  or  close  detail. 

Colors  from  a  purple  which  crowded  black,  to  the  lightest  hues 
of  green  and  bronze  flashed  in  sunlight  and  waved  with  the  breeze. 
In  bark  they  ranged  from  the  rugged  cork  to  those  as  smooth  as  a 
beech  and  shaded  from  dark  brown  to  the  white  and  green  striped. 

Maple  Sugar  Harvest. 

When  summer's  reign  was  ended,  and  the  frost-laden  north 
wind  wrapped  the  sugar  maple  in  its  wonderfully  beautiful  mantle 
of  yellow  and  red,  we  were  glad  to  have  planted  this  tree  with  such 
prodigality,  with  the  idea  of  a  farm  industry  in  future  years.  Bar- 
ring a  wandering  rose  bug  and  the  borer,  the  maple  has  few  insect 

®We  uprooted  the  lamb-kill  variety  of  laurel  which  grew  sparsely  in  the  sheep  pasture 
and  from  which  the  bees  distilled  poisonous  honey. 


THE  BLUE  RIBBON  SEVEN  85 

enemies,  and  drives  its  roots  into  the  most  unpromising  soil,  seeming 
at  times  almost  to  draw  sustenance  from  the  very  rock,  often  shar- 
ing honors  with  the  cedar  in  being  a  cleft-in-the-rock  tree.  Maples 
edged  the  arboretum,  lined  the  drives  and  diversified  the  lawns  in 
Hillcrest  Manor. 

The  Blue  Ribbon  Seven. 

Among  other  beautiful  trees  on  our  lawns  were  seven  that  halted 
the  most  uninterested  and  careless  passer-by,  and  forced  his  admiration, 
one,  the  Cedrus  deodora,  whose  rare,  blue,  moss-like  foliage  attracted 
instant  attention.  This  was  partially  screened  by  a  mixed  group  of 
Weymouth  and  red  pines  supplemented  in  winter  with  cedar  boughs 
thrust  into  the  ground,  and  built  upward  into  a  protecting  bower 
shielding  it  from  the  death-dealing  winter  sun  and  biting  wind.  Near 
it  was  a  Nordman's  fir,  the  silver  lining  of  whose  leaves  glisten  in 
sunlight  and  moonlight,  flanked  on  either  side  by  Koster's  Colorado 
spruce,  as  blue  as  bluest  steel,  while  one  hundred  feet  from  any  other 
tree  grew  a  glorious,  kingly  copper  beech,  and  directly  across  the 
lawn  a  magnificent  specimen  of  one  of  the  most  beautiful  trees 
grown,  the  fern-leaf  beech.  A  golden  oak  glowed  sunshine  on  the 
copper  beech.  Our  seventh  was  the  queenly,  cut-leaf  birch,  whose 
silvery  branches  peeped  through  a  tracery  of  delicate  green  leaves. 
A  passing  glance  at  this  made  one  nature's  debtor.* 

The  above  seven  trees,  with  one  exception,  held  the  blue  ribbon 
against  all  other  aspirants,  though  it  seems  invidious  to  restrict  one's 
selection  to  a  paltry  seven,  when  forest  and  nursery  fairly  teem  with 
specimens  clamoring  for  recognition. 

The  Elm. 

Towering  above  the  blue  ribboners  and  in  a  sense  outrivaling 
their  skin-deep  beauty,  was  the  king  of  trees,  the  elm,  the  pride  of 
our  forbears.  For  nearly  fifty  years  two  of  these  had  looked  down 
on  the  farm  house  roof,  and  with  o'erclasped  branches  seemed  to 
breathe  companionship,  protection  and  even  benediction.  It  was 
fully  twenty  feet  to  the  first  dividing  limb  crotch,  so  that  sunlight 
and  air  brightened  and  cooled  the  dwelling  in  summer  and  in  winter 
the  gracefully  swaying  network  of  limbs  and  branches  gave  life  to 
a  dead  landscape.f 

The  dwarf  horse  chestnut,  the  delicate  leaved  Sophora  japonica, 
the  tremulous  silver  and  in  contrast  the  golden  poplar;  the  sturdy 
white  oak  whose  outstretched  arms  sheltered  our  biggest  herd  of 
cattle,  the  buckeye  and  the  xanthocera,  cork  and  Camperdown  elms, 
the  rarely  beautiful  Cedrus  Atlantica  glauca,  the  Katsura  tree,  and 
in  a  low  bit  of  ground  the  rosemary  and  Kilmarnock  willows,  as 

*A  taxodium  diestichum  fought  hard  for  a  niche  in  our  arboreal  hall  of  fame  but  was 
finally  barred  as  to  be  at  its  best  it  requires  the  artificial  aid  of  severe!pruning. 

fLightning  and  tornado,  both  dire  enemies  of  tree  life,  were  the  undoing  of  our  farm 
house  elms. 


86  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

well  as  scores  of  others,  gave  beauty  and  variety  to  lawn,  meadow, 
and  hillside. 

Folly  of  Transplanting  Forest  Trees. 

Costly  experiment  taught  that  trees  transplanted  from  the  woods 
to  the  open  generally  stand  still  or  die,  while  those  from  the  nursery 
make  rapid  progress,  that  pruning  both  root  and  branch  and  several 
transplantings  do  wonders  for  tree  development,  but  that  native  trees 
taken  from  a  clearing  often  grow  finely. 

The  propagation  of  trees  and  shrubs  from  seeds  was  interesting, 
but  the  wait  too  long,  except  in  the  case  of  pit-grown  peaches,  which 
generally  proved  worthless  sports. 

Spare  the  shears  and  you  spoil  the  tree  might  well  be  axiomatic 
Math  the  horticulturist,  yet  many  an  amateur  hesitates  before  his 
choicest  evergreens.  We  changed  scores  of  straggling  branched  and 
bedraggled  looking  Norway  spruces  into  pyramids  of  beauty  from 
sod  to  topmost  twig  by  simply  beheading  them  a  foot  or  two  for 
several  successive  years,  but  not  in  freezing  weather — thus  giving  the 
lie  in  part  to  the  old  saying:  "The  prettiest  things  in  youth  and  the 
ugliest  in  old  age  are  a  pig,  a  negro  baby,  and  an  evergreen  tree." 

The  Monkey  Climber. 

Among  our  natural  curiosities  was  a  wild  grapevine  that  in 
some  strange  way  had  leaped  without  visible  contact  to  the  top  of  a 
lofty  fifty-year  old  tree.  It  was  fitly  named  the  monkey  climber  and 
the  loftiest  vine  in  our  viticetum. 

The  snowy  cascade  of  the  weeping  Japanese  cherry,  a  three  days' 
wonder,  ere  its  rarely  beautiful  white  blossoms,  grown  dingy,  wilt 
and  fall ;  the  weeping  mulberry  which  screened  an  arbor  seat 
and  swept  toward  the  ground  in  serried  columns;  drooping  beeches 
and  birches  silhouetting  almost  grotesquely  against  the  sky-line, 
yet  when  well  grown,  rising  like  camels'  humps,  one  above  the  other, 
intensifying  the  tall,  straight,  dignified  beauty  of  contrasting  poplars 
(the  cottonwood)  and  lordly  elms — all  these  and  more  were  to  be 
found  in  Hillcrest  arboretum,  in  rare  cases  goaded  into  unusual  forms 
by  the  pruning  knife.  The  birches  were  lined  to  form  a  sentinel 
barrier  that  far  outshone  in  beauty  the  time-honored  picturesque 
Lombardy  poplar  that  unless  planted  with  a  positive  end  in  view, 
grows  straggly  and  moth-eaten  when  it  reaches  lonely  maturity. 

Twin  Spurs  of  Guano  and  Shears. 

With  guano  and  shears  one  can  metamorphose  everything  that 
grows.  Few  trees  are  homelier  when  left  to  themselves  to  struggle 
and  straggle  along  than  Taxodium  distichum  (southern  cypress) 
and  few  more  attractive  than  this  same  tree  when  judicious 
pruning  compels  it  against  its  habit  to  form  a  mass  of  closely  grown, 
pea  green,  feathery  foliage.  The  long  waving  branches  of  the 
weigela,  the  result  of  two  or  three  years'  pruning,  are  the  acme  of 


HISTORY  SACRED  AND  PROFANE  87 

grace,  tufted  with  pink  blossoms  in  June,  lacking  only  fragrance  to 
rival  the  unrivaled  apple  blossom.  With  restraint  removed  they 
thrust  with  added  force  upward  and  downward  their  long  graceful 
branches.  Grown  thus,  once  seen  they  can  never  be  forgotten. 
Thunbergii  berberis,  which  sometimes  shrinks  under  the  pruning 
knife,  is  a  flaming  torch  in  the  autumn,  and  passes  through  the 
insect  onslaught  unscathed,  as  does  the  Vibernum  plicatum,  with  its 
globular  snow-white  bloom,  while  the  flowers  of  its  American  cousin 
no  sooner  begin  to  open  than  the  petals  are  badly  eaten  and  stained. 

In  the  Rosa  rugosa  from  Japan,  was  found  another  seemingly 
insect-proof  plant.  Even  when  not  in  bloom  its  fresh  luxuriant  foliage 
and  later  scarlet  haws  were  a  delight  to  the  eye. 

The  scope  of  the  arboretum  constantly  widened  until  it  com- 
passed a  great  variety.  Hundreds  of  grouped  plantings  showed  in 
their  season  masses  of  vivid  color.  The  azalea,  garbed  in  carmine  and 
orange;  the  rhododendron,  with  evergreen  foliage  and  large  blossoms 
of  varied  colors,  and  peonies  and  dahlias,  practically  fungi-immune 
plants  giving  glorious  color  and  form  effects — single,  double,  starred 
and  threaded,  and  well  worth  wider  cultivation — vied  with  each  other 
to  brighten  our  floral  realm,  while  in  late  summer  came  the  big  heads 
of  hydrangeas  of  roseate  hue,  which  when  cut  and  dried  far  surpass 
in  beauty  the  everlasting,  that  "posy"  of  childhood. 

From  trees  and  shrubs  to  grasses  is  a  wide  leap,  as  they 
creep  upward  from  the  low,  straggly,  witch-grass-rooted  variegated 
ribbon  grass  to  the  stately  waving  plumes  of  the  Erianthus  ravennae 
or  the  more  tender  King  Henry  of  Navarre  white  plumed  pampas 
grass.  The  evergreen,  Bambusa  metake,  rarely  grown,  but  of  great 
merit,  its  pinnated  leaves  forming  a  mass  of  verdure  both  summer 
and  winter,  carpeted  several  low,  damp  and  unsightly  spots,  while 
from  Japan  we  had  the  cross-striped  Eulalia,  the  Zebrina  japonica 
varigata,  that  plant  that  disproves  the  sometimes  accepted  theory 
that  variation  of  color  is  a  symptom  of  debility  as  it  is  painfully  healthy 
from  deepest  rootlet  to  highest  leaf  tip.  The  Arundo  donax  varigata 
needing  winter  protection  is  far  more  striking  than  the  plain  green 
variety,  and  with  its  corn-like  growth  o'ertops  and  contrasts  well  with 
the  reed-like  waving  leaves  of  the  Eulalia  gracillima.  We  leaned 
strongly  toward  variegated  plants,  from  the  Euonymous  radicans  var, 
and  the  graceful  variegated  kerria,  one  of  the  most  striking  shrubs, 
up  through  sturdy  weigela,  dogwood,  forsythia,  althea  and  privet, 
represented  in  the  tree  line  by  a  towering,  spotted,  acuba  ash,  seem- 
ingly a  giant  croton,  and  maples  galore. 

History,  Sacred  and  Profane. 

Many  a  page  of  history,  both  sacied  and  profane,  can  be  read 
in  the  arboretum.  Yonder  is  the  massed  purple  bloom  of  the  Judas 
tree  (the  Cercis),  and  near  it  the  Japanese  variety  of  the  same, 
which  has  a  closer  blossom  and  richer  hue.  Next  grows  the  bitter 


88  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

wormwood,  of  shiftless  and  straggling  habit,  and  in  season  the 
morphine  poppy  of  China,  that  life  saver  or  destroyer  (according 
to  its  use)  whitens  the  ground  with  its  falling  petals,  while  close  by 
is  one  of  those  willows  whose  parent  stock  wept  o'er  the  grave  of 
the  prisoner  of  St.  Helena.  At  its  base  grew  a  clump  of  conium 
(poison  hemlock),  Athens'  unrighteous  death  draught  for  phil- 
osopher and  criminal.  A  thicket  of  nicotianas  (tobacco  plant) 
with  their  tough  green  leaves  and  tropical  growth  represents  a  cen- 
tury or  more  of  slavery  for  the  negro  cultivators  and  probably  many 
centuries  yet  to  come  of  slavery  to  consumers.  In  the  background 
is  the  Paradise  Tree  or  Tree  of  Heaven,  the  unfairly  maligned 
though  odorous  root-spreading  ailanthus. 

Lilies  were  grown  in  large  beds  set  generally  in  sandy  leaf  mold. 
There  were  many  varieties,  from  the  maidenly  shy,  naiad-like  drooping 
lily  of  the  valley  that  seeks  shade  and  grows  best  in  damp  soil,  to  the 
sturdy,  brazen,  gold-banded  lily  of  Japan,  through  all  gradations  of 
Easter  lily,  aggressive,  staring  tiger  lily,  yellow  field  lily, 
oddly  spotted  toad  lily,  the  Tricytis  hirta  from  Japan,  and  near  it, 
the  Tigridia,  every  morning  showing  its  tender  newly-born  bizarre 
blossoms,  the  low  growing,  variegated  leaved  Funkia,  or  day  lily, 
the  St.  Bruno's  lily  and  blackberry  lily,  also  narcissi  in  dazzling  hue. 

Large  beds  of  high  stalked  perennial  phloxes,  nodding  standards 
of  flaming  color  half  the  summer,  and  pink  and  white  close  to  the 
ground  patches  of  phlox  subulata,  also  Astilbe  japonica,  the  latter 
forced  in  winter,  were  plentifully  scattered  through  the  grounds. 
Beds  of  blue-eyed  forget-me-nots  and  clumps  of  dog-faced  pansies  were 
planted  profusely  and  mind-labeled  flowers  that  talk,  Aquilegia 
from  the  native  red  and  yellow  to  the  cultivated  browns  and  grays, 
gave  charming  variety,  and  bulbs  from  scillae  to  sword-leaved  gladioli 
grew  in  rare  abandon  and  great  variety.  No  longer  did  June  sadly 
view  the  shriveled  dying  blossoms  of  iris  and  columbine  for  late  bloom- 
ing varieties  of  these  and  other  gorgeous  early  flowers  lingered  with  us 
until  autumn — Veronica,  the  iron  plant,  snow  on  the  mountain 
(variegated  spurge)  ginseng  (at  eight  dollars  a  pound,  a  valuable 
crop)  jonquils,  lupines,  pyrethrum,  tarragon,  turtle-head,  rock  cress, 
vetch,  wood  sorrel,  pinks,  perennial  pea,  cinquefoil,  harebell,  Jacob's 
ladder,  knotweed,  liverwort,  loosestrife,  lungwort,  leek,  mandrake, 
sneeze-weed,  sneezewort,  bell  flower,  primrose,  foxglove,  mahonia, 
monkshood,  and  blue  spirea  grew  in  profusion,  and  hollyhock  and 
larkspur  waved  triumphantly  aloft  their  banner  spikes  of  bloom. 

"And  the  jessamine  fair,  and  the  sweet  tuberose, 
The  sweetest  flower  for  scent  that  grows, 
And  all  rare  blossoms  from  every  clime 
Grow  in  that  garden  in  perfect  prime." 


UNLOCKING  NATURE'S  SECRETS  89 

Among  the  tender  varieties  were  the  odd  little  cigar  plant,  set 
near  a  bed  of  sensitive  plants  that  shrank  into  themselves  at  the  slight- 
est touch,  and  next  to  it  a  bed  of  ice  plants  glittered  in  the  sunlight. 

Yellow-gemmed  moneywort  gave  us  a  full  money's  worth  of 
compact  bloom  for  an  eighth  of  a  mile  in  the  spaces  between 
plants  in  the  arboretum,  but  after  a  couple  of  years  the  irksome  and 
back-breaking  task  of  separating  weed  and  moneywort  ended  this 
dream  of  a  golden  carpet  beneath  the  shrubbery. 

Royal  Pedigree  of  the  Fields. 

The  arboretum  had  a  wide  gamut,  native  shrub  often  side  by  side 
with  the  rarest  products  of  China  and  Japan,  and,  as  the  despised 
and  down-trodden  delicately  laced  wild  carrot  outshines  in  beauty 
some  plant  of  extended  pedigree,  so  the  brilliant  scarlet  berries  of  the 
black  alder,  the  intense  orange  tuft  of  the  milkweed  (that  variety 
seen  far  afield)  ;  the  feathery,  curled  wild  clematis,  the  clambering, 
orange-fruited  bitter  sweet,  and  that  glorious  red  dart  of  the  fireweed 
shamed  into  mediocrity  plants  whose  lineage  is  traced  through  a 
hundred  propagating  houses. 

In  our  collection  were  the  hobble  bush,  Scotch  broom,  wayfaring 
tree,  the  withe-rod,  the  hazel  bush,  whose  branches  the  well  digger 
believes  weirdly  disclose  hidden  waterways,  and  a  clump  of  flowering 
raspberries,  shading  a  patch  of  winterberries. 

Stroll  Path. 

Amid  the  dense  growth  backgrounding  the  arboretum  was  laid 
out  a  stroll-path  a  half  mile  in  length,  completely  hidden  from  the 
drive  by  the  entourage  of  blossom  and  foliage.  Rustic  seats,  generally 
a  simple  log,  were  set  in  bosky  cover  in  this  greenery  retreat  of  the 
birds,  and  here  one  learned  a  few  of  their  many  secrets. 

Unlocking  Nature's  Secrets. 

It  was  once  my  good  fortune  to  spend  a  day  with  our  State  micro- 
biologist.  We  roamed  through  fields,  woods  and  fruit  orchards, 
on  our  way  stepping  into  a  vegetable  cellar.  It  took  a  full  half 
hour  to  drag  my  friend  out  again  to  the  daylight,  away  from  cobweb, 
cocoon,  dust-covered  beam  and  wall,  to  me  dank  nothings;  to  him 
another  world.  Then  came  a  rarely  instructive  walk  of  barely  half 
a  mile  but  lasting  long  past  dinner  time.  Keenly  interesting  was  this 
opening  of  nature's  storehouse  by  one  who  holds  a  key.  Discoveries 
everywhere !  The  gray  bunched  elongation  of  a  grass  spear,  a  cocoon, 
a  slight  increase  in  the  thickness  of  an  apple  twig,  another  snugly 
clinging  to  the  bark;  the  curled  leaf  "some  happy  creature's  palace"; 
a  bruised  twig;  a  broken  limb;  a  trampled  bit  of  grass;  a  footprint 
in  the  soft  mud  at  the  edge  of  the  brook ;  a  twitter  in  yonder  copse ; 
a  bursting  song  of  divine  melody  from  the  topmost  twig  of  a  black 
walnut ;  a  whirr  as  of  flapping  wings ;  the  buzz  of  insects — a  thousand 


•90  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

— no:  a  million  sights  and  sounds  to  feed  eye,  ear  and  brain,  if  man 
could  but  grasp  them.  The  camera  was  a  constant  friend  and  life 
had  an  added  charm  when  the  photomicrographic  field  still  farther 
enlarged  our  vision. 

Bugs  and  Butterflies. 

Introduction  Day  was  repeated  several  times  by  that  obliging 
State  microbiologist  and  when  fall  winds  had  swirled  from  the  oak 
most  of  its  leaves  and  disclosed  to  our  newly  awakened  appreciation 
of  insect  life  the  tightly  woven  leaf  nest  of  the  caterpillar,  intro- 
ductions had  culminated  in  an  extended  but  one  sided  calling  list,  and 
.as  winter  approached  we  lost  no  time  in  making  many  aurelian  calls. 

Man's  very  existence  rests  on  the  gauze  wings  of  the  bee  and 
the  butterfly.  At  the  base  of  the  pyramid  of  all  life  is  the  insect 
world.  An  insectless  world  is  in  the  main  a  flowerless  world,  with  the 
unavoidable  sequence  of  death  to  bird,  beast  and  man.  Adjustment 
and  balance  can  only  be  obtained  through  control  of  the  predatory 
hordes  that  swarm  over  our  planet,  their  seeming  aim  man's  destruc- 
tion, but  changed  by  a  directing  hand  to  construction.  It  is  an 
innumerable  army  that  of  these  night  and  day  propagators  and  scav- 
engers who  close  heel  man's  progress  toward  the  zenith  of  his 
powers,  and  as  he  draws  aside  the  veil  and  peers  into  the  outer  court 
of  this  phase  of  nature  he  senses  unseen  and  potent  forces  far  beyond 
his  present  ability  to  understand.  The  microscope  and  the  avarium 
aid  mightily  toward  mastering  the  alphabet  of  the  insect  life. 
Man's  physical  inhumanity  to  man  is  as  nothing  to  the  carnage  and 
butchery  with  which  the  insect  world  reeks  from  pole  to  pole.  Let 
us  hope  that  the  line  immortalizing  the  dying  worm  "it  feels  a  pang 
as  deep  as  when  a  giant  dies"  is  only  poetic  license. 

Insect  life  is  prolific  in  schemes  to  side-track  the,  juggernaut  of 
destruction  that  even  before  birth  is  often  on  its  trail  following  out 
the  wonderful  warring  laws  by  which  nature  is  kept  in  equilibrium.* 

When  the  praying  martin  or  devil's  riding  horse  fiercely  devours 
his  victims  alive,  and  the  ichneumon  fly  incubates  under  the  skin  or 
within  the  intestinal  canal  of  its  benefactor,  then  slowly  devours  the 
inner  vitals,  pierces  through  the  skin  an  avenue  to  freedom,  and  leaves 
by  the  wayside  the  shell  tenement  of  its  protector,  let  us  hope  that 
neither  nerve,  muscle,  nor  delicate  organ  has  felt  what  to  man's  sensi- 
tively attuned  system  would  have  been  untold  agony.  Insect  life, 
the  most  prolific  of  all  life,  claims  the  closest  study.  Here  the  sur- 
vival of  the  fittest  is  pronounced.  To  eat,  to  live,  to  escape  its 
enemies  and  to  propagate,  is  its  entire  decalog,  as  in  primeval  man, 
but  the  endless  nonillions  of  the  insect  world  aggregating  in  the 

*The  star  and  the  aphis  are  extremes  in  realms  heretofore  practically  untrod  by  man. 
Authorities  state  that  a  single  pair  of  garden  aphides  absolutely  undisturbed  would  in  a  few 
months  plaster  the  entire  globe  with  a  solid  mass  of  their  progeny,  as  the  fish  of  the  ocean 
unless  preyed  on  by  their  fellows  would  turn  that  stupendous  ocean  into  a  mass  of  putrid  flesh. 

A  world  out  of  balance  would  cease  to  be  a  world. 


EGGS  TO  IMAGO  91 

lepidopteras  alone  over  fifty  thousand  named  species,  fortunately  still 
grovel  and  see  but  that  which  keeps  them  alive. 

Among  the  fascinating  facts  that  after  dinner  studies  taught  and 
which  we  had  little  trouble  in  proving  was  that  the  hairy  caterpillar 
who  lays  her  eggs  along  the  edges  of  a  freshly  eaten  leaf  does  so 
with  the  deliberate  purpose  of  having  her  offspring  devour  the  vitals 
of  the  voracious  insect  that  gulps  them  down.  Mightily  interesting 
was  that  insect  who  carries  sail  covers  just  as  the  yachtsman  does  to 
protect  the  wings  of  his  yacht,  with  the  deeper  purpose  of  color 
disguise  from  his  enemies. 

The  tent  caterpillars  pitch  their  moisture,  predatory  insect,  and 
even  bird-proof  tents  in  the  forked  branches  of  the  cherry  and  apple. 
They  are  strongly  built  and  will  stand  persistent  onslaught.  After 
foraging,  the  colony  returns  to  the  fold  from  time  to  time  to  recover 
from  its  gluttonous  debauches. 

Leaf-Rollers. 

We  found  that  the  leaf-roller  weevil  partially  cuts  off  the  supply 
of  sap  from  the  leaf  to  make  it  limp  enough  to  roll  into  a  snug  egg 
pocket.  Leaf  hoppers  hopped  into  the  spread  net  of  the  carnivorous 
spider,  the  one  who  swallows  his  nearest  relatives  with  fiendish  gusto. 

Some  plants  guard  with  a  hairy  growth  their  chalice  of  nectar 
from  such  crawling  freebooters  as  ants  and  beetles,  saving  their  mines 
of  sweetness  for  the  bee  and  his  pollen  carrying  fellows. 

A  wonderfully  busy  and  particular  little  fellow  is  that  same 
pollinating  bee.  Unlike  the  fly,  who  takes  everything  in  sight,  he 
demands  aesthetic  coloring,  choicest  nectar,  and  delicious  odor.  Much 
of  bee  life  begins  its  work  'mid  the  willow  blossoms  of  early  spring 
and  the  death  of  the  fall  asters  sees  the  blotting  out  of  a  vast  major- 
ity of  these  mighty  purveyors  to  man's  existence. 

Egg  to  Imago. 

Within  the  egg  of  a  canker  worm  is  epitomized  the  beginning 
of  many  a  parasitical  insect.  Another  parasite  dwelling  in  its 
fellows  is  so  wedded  to  hygiene  as  to  cut  a  sewage  outlet  in  the  skin 
of  his  living,  pulsating  temporary  home  through  which  to  eject  all 
refuse.  The  woolly  bear  caterpillar  thatches  its  cocoon  with  its  own 
wiry  spiny  hair  to  withstand  and  discourage  bird  attacks. 

Laze  Bugs. 

Laze  bugs,  such  as  the  ambush,  the  flower  bug  and  the  ant  lion, 
who  can  starve  like  a  camel,  eschew  foraging,  but,  securely  hidden, 
spring  on  their  unsuspecting  victims  as  they  seek  the  lure  of  blossom 
nectar  or  inadvertently  slide  into  the  little  sand  pit  trap  built  and  set 
by  his  lordship,  the  ant  lion,  plebeianly  called  the  doodle  bug. 

Typical  marauders  were  the  wasps.  With  omniverous  appetites 
they  stung  fruit  and  insect  alike,  often  killing  the  active  cicadas. 


92  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

Cuckoos  of  the  Insect  Tribe. 

Cuckoos  of  the  insect  tribe  are  legion,  and  not  only  parasites, 
but  often  assassins,  laying  their  eggs  in  the  nests  of  other  insects,  fully 
cognizant  that  their  progeny  will  eat  their  foster  brothers  and  sisters 
in  both  egg  and  body  form. 

The  Skunk  Insect. 

The  saw  fly  unsheathes  her  pair  of  double  action  cross-cut  and 
splitting  saws  to  mutilate  and  deposit  in  leaf  and  tender  twig  her 
eggs  which,  when  hatched,  repeat  the  vandal  act  of  their  progenitors. 
The  saw  fly  is  the  skunk  of  the  insect  tribe,  and  on  occasion  squirts  a 
moist  and  acid  stream  on  its  enemies. 

As  the  track  walker  swings  a  warning  red  lantern,  so  the  color 
warning  in  the  flashings  of  some  species  of  black  and  red-winged 
insects  proclaims  to  marauding  freebooters  that  spiny  hairs  sting  and 
acid  flesh  sickens,  thus  for  the  time  being  postponing  the  inevitable. 

Queen  of  Night. 

The  Queen  of  Night,  the  Luna,  as  well  as  the  hawk  moths,  in 
appearance  like  humming  birds,  were  among  our  richest  treasures 
'mid  a  collection  that  grew  apace  as  our  interest  in  the  wide  field  of 
lepidoptera  increased.  We  aimed  to  know  the  genealogical  tree  from 
deepest  rootlet  to  topmost  twig  of  every  specimen  in  our  little  cabinet, 
which  was  jealously  guarded  within  protecting  glass  from  rodent  and 
moth.  The  evolution  from  egg  to  worm  or  larva  and  from  larva  to 
pupa  or  chrysalid,  thence  to  fly  and  again  back  to  egg,  was  a  fascinat- 
ing study.  Head,  thorax,  abdomen,  antennae,  two  winged  and  four 
winged,  four  legged  and  six  legged,  all  came  in  unending  procession 
under  the  microscope,  wrhich  opened  wide  the  door  to  a  heretofore 
closed  world. 

Though  unable  to  attest  by  sight  that  the  industrious  ant  was 
as  well  a  foster  mother,  carrying  within  its  protecting  nest  the  eggs 
of  other  insects  and  rearing  them  with  her  own,  it  so  read  and  we 
accepted  it  as  we  did  many  another  surprising  statement  that  we  had 
neither  time  nor  ability  to  prove,  such  as  the  ant  keeping  milch  cow 
aphides  and  slaves. 

One  most  interesting  example  of  concealment  was  found  on  an 
elm  tree;  a  caterpillar  having  a  rough  serrated  bulging  skin,  an  exact 
counterpart  of  the  ridges  in  the  elm  leaf — even  the  sharp  eyes  of  the 
birds  seemed  but  rarely  to  pierce  this  environmental  disguise. 

The  Tramp  Insect. 

Tramp  by  name  and  nature  one  might  label  the  walking  stick. 
The  cares  of  motherhood  sit  lightly  on  her  shoulders,  as  she  drops 
her  eggs  helter-skelter  in  grass,  woodland,  or  bog,  and  but  few  escape 
the  maw  of  the  hungry  ones. 

It  was  rare  joy  to  thus  roam  in  this  minor  within  a  major 
world  and  watch  in  sunlight  and  shadow,  in  dense  wood  and  open 


HAWKS  OF   THE  INSECT   WORLD  93 

meadow,  the  great  unending  procession  of  insect  life,  the  alder  leaf 
case  bearer  staggering  along  under  his  pack,  and  near  him  a  sturdy 
caterpillar  laden  with  a  whole  nest  of  parasitical  eggs,  each  contain- 
ing an  embryo  grave  digger,  which  he  must  carry  to  his  grave.  Slen- 
der waisted  mud  and  digger  wasps  we  found  'mid  the  insects  that 
pupate  in  earth  cells.  The  list  of  non-silk  spinning  cocoon  manu- 
facturers includes  many  vegetivorous  insects,  the  potato  bug,  wire 
worm,  crane  fly,  cut  and  tomato  worm  and  root  eating  maggots. 
There  also  we  dug  up  many  of  the  fruit  eaters  in  the  first  ranks 
of  which  were  the  curculio,  the  canker  worm  and  apple  maggot.  The 
elm  tree  sphinx  (at  times,  the  immovable)  and  the  destructive  elm 
beetle,  fortunately  for  the  tree  lover,  are  also  earth  pupaters.  Tangle- 
foot encircling  the  elm  trunk  will  keep  her  well  under  foot.  The  regal 
moth,  the  zebra  caterpillar  and  a  full  line  of  grass  diggers,  all  traced 
their  ancestral  homes  to  earth  catacombs.  In  most  of  our  insect  hunts 
wre  found  the  ever  busy  ichneumon  flies  flitting  from  place  to  place, 
one  main  object  in  life  being  to  puncture  the  skin  of  some  less  active 
insect  and  oviposit  their  death  eggs  broadcast  among  their  fellows. 

Hawks  of  the  Insect  World. 

Dragon  flies,  as  they  lived  their  lives  'mid  scurrying  hordes  of 
flying  victims,  were  in  a  class  by  themselves.  The  true  dragon  we 
found  lights  with  spread  wings,  the  damsel  with  folded  upright  wings. 

Night  Moths. 

In  strolling  through  the  woods  close  scrutiny  discovered  flat 
against  the  bark  of  beech  and  birch  the  night  moths,  each  having 
selected  the  tree  closest  to  its  coloring,  the  sharpest  eyed  birds 
often  taking  them  for  a  bit  of  wood.  A  true  possum  insect  which 
feigns  death  when  facing  disaster  is  the  large  sphinx  caterpillar,  who 
hangs  perfectly  motionless  head  downward  for  hours  to  deceive  its 
enemies. 

Beetle  hunting  yielded  a  wide  quarry, — whirligig,  water,  snout, 
tiger,  black,  blister,  long-horned,  the  smug  little  ladybird,  the  epitome 
of  bug  cleanliness,  water  scorpions,  water  striders  and  boatmen  all 
involuntarily  joined  the  stick  pin  colony. 

The  great  mass  of  insect  life,  aside  from  the  stingers  as  exampled 
in  bee,  hornet  and  spider,  and  a  few  spiny  haired  caterpillars,  has  no 
protection  from  its  enemies.  Concealment  through  color  and  in 
habitation  is  its  strongest  hold  on  life  but  at  best  often  a  broken  reed. 

One  Romeo  of  the  insect  world,  the  cricket,  in  season  contin- 
ually serenades  Juliet  with  rasping  chirpings  which  rival  the  Katy- 
dids. 

Footless  larvae,  aphidivorous  gourmands,  stayed  where  maternity 
left  them  and  leeched  life  from  contact  with  branch,  leaf,  and  insect. 

Plants  as  well  as  insects  we  found  arrogantly  commandeered  by 
some  of  these  tiny  autocrats,  notably  when  the  willow  leaves  were 


94  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

forced  to  surround  insect  eggs  with  red  bean  shaped  galls  and  grass, 
stalk,  branch,  twig  and  leaf,  and  oak  apple  grew  and  thickened  at 
their  behest,  giving  up  stored  nutriment  to  nourish  the  trespassing 
pupa. 

Those  interesting  insects,  the  leaf  tent  miners,  claimed  our  closest 
inspection.  They  were  much  at  home  among  the  oaks,  red  maples 
and  locusts — their  little  brown  parchment-like  blotches  giving  loca- 
tion of  another  insect's  palace  within  the  leaf  structure.* 

The  butterfly  field  was  studded  with  many  stars  and  those  of 
first  magnitude  included  the  black  monarch,  the  sapphire  mail,  vice- 
roy, tortoise,  swallow  tail  and  tiger  tail,  red  admiral,  painted  lady, 
the  mourning  cloak,  the  comma  and  the  yellow  asterias.' 

As  a  rule  the  insect  world  is  an  orphaned  world.  It  is  true  the 
monarch  and  tortoise  butterflies  and  a  few  other  species  follow  the 
birds  to  the  South  in  large  flocks,  some  locusts  bury  in  the  ground, 
notably  the  seventeen  year  cicadas,  and  a  few  butterflies,  for  example 
the  mourning  cloak,  hibernate  in  hollow  tree  or  under  buildings,  but 
the  great  mass  of  struggling,  warring  insect  life,  when  its  purpose 
of  scavenging,  propagating  and  protecting  its  unborn  offspring  is 
accomplished,  joins  that  endless,  ever  moving  procession  of  the  passers 
into  the  beyond  and  an  orphaned  progeny  takes  up  and  repeats  the 
endless  order  of  being. 

Our  Rosarium. 

"Where  you  tend  a  rose,  my  lad, 
A  thistle  cannot  grow.'' 

A  patch  three  rods  square  was  given  up  to  the  queen  of  flowers. 
Hardy  perpetuals  were  the  favorites  but  a  bed  of  teas  bloomed 
the  entire  summer  even  to  early  December,  and,  sheltered  and  pro- 
tected, wintered  finely.  Tree  roses,  as  well  as  tree  peonies,  cornered 
the  rosarium. 

The  same  three  rod  patch  was  a  battle  ground  whereon  raged 
our  fiercest  combats  with  the  insect  world,  but  eternal  vigilance 
gave  an  unrivaled  harvest  of  form  and  color. 

Pruning  and  budding  shrubs  in  tree  form  we  tried  out,  notably 
in  the  rose,  azalea.,  and  hydrangea,  but  soon  concluded  that  a  tree's 
a  tree  and  a  shrub's  a  shrub,  which  resulted  in  better  balanced  growth, 
flower,  and  fruit. 

A  Semi-Tropical  Corner. 

The  very  word  tropics  suggests  gleaming  sunshine,  refreshing 
shade,  bright  colored  birds  and  delicately  perfumed  flowers,  and  in 
our  arboretum  were  corners  where  every  plant,  as  well  as  its  environ- 

*Close  scrutiny  of  stream,  branch  and  trunk  revealed  the  cylindrical  stone  house  of  the 
caddis  worm,  the  shell  palace  of  the  bark  louse,  the  wooden  burrow  of  the  bumble  bee,  and 
the  leaf  mansion  of  the  cherry  leaf  twig  tier  who  builds  a  high  class  dwelling  as  Insect  dwellings 
rank,  homes  doubtless  as  satisfying  to  them  a«  the  most  pretentious  dwellings  of  the  race  of  giants 
that  crush  them  under  foot.  The  "dog  eat  dog"  spirit  of  insect  life,  that  indomitable 
courage  in  bee,  ant.  flea,  hornet,  and  mosquito,  that  neither  cringes  before  nor  fears  its  betters> 
if  unchecked  would  soon  depopulate  the  earth. 


PLANT  LABELS  THAT  LABEL  95 

ment,  seemed  tropical.  Here  were  the  Aralia  spinosa,  or  its  more 
delicately  framed  sister,  the  Dimorphantus,  which  nevertheless  yields 
its  sceptre  less  quickly  to  the  frost  king,  fronting  a  beautiful  specimen 
of  purple  blossoming  Paulownia  imperialis;  then  came  the  copper- 
hued  Ricinus  and  glorious  cannas  of  rampant  growth  and  brilliant 
color — assiduous  care  forcing  the  rankest  growers  to  leap  upward 
a  dozen  feet — while  in  the  foreground  were  elephant's  ears  (Cal- 
adium)  often  a  yard  or  more  in  length.  By  copious  watering  with 
liquid  fertilizer  many  of  its  leaves  grew  to  the  length  of  five  feet, 
and  in  sharp  contrast  and  goodly  quantity  a  wide  variety  of  sub- 
arctic plants,  among  them  a  bed  of  edelweiss  from  parent  stock  we 
brought  from  the  base  of  the  Matterhorn.  Near  by  were  Iceland 
moss,  saxifrage,  andromeda,  ranunculus,  clethra,  and  cloudberry. 

Semi-hardy  Canna. 

During  the  past  mild  season,  a  canna  bed  planted  against  a  south 
wall  on  slightly  sloping  ground  wintered  finely  unblanketed,  proving 
that  with  protection  and  under  certain  conditions,  even  in  Connecticut, 
the  tender  canna  can  be  thus  handled. 

Evergreens  were  scattered  through  the  grounds  in  over  one 
hundred  varieties,  totaling  well  into  the  thousands. 

Grouped  in  effective  contrast  were  green  and  golden  yew, 
Colorado  blue  spruce,  silver  fir,  cypress,  and  Biota,  in  silver  and  gold, 
the  gold  that  shines  as  brightly  in  winter  as  in  summer,  as  well  as 
that  variety  that  dons  a  bronze  hued  coat  in  the  "melancholy  days." 
There  were  also  green  and  variegated,  spatulated  and  pointed,  feath- 
ered and  curled  Biotas  and  Retinosperas  of  varied  hue,  a  bewildering^ 
labyrinth  of  form  and  color  that  to  the  real  lover  of  trees  spelled 
Elysian  realms,  and  vastly  improved  the  contour,  foliage  and  bloom  of 
our  two-mile  garden  strip. 

Let  me  relate  an  incident  apropos  of  tree,  shrub  and  plant  cultiva- 
tion. I  had  journeyed  far  to  see  what  was  considered  the  finest  private 
collection  of  evergreens  in  our  entire  country,  its  owner  a  scholar,  as- 
well  as  a  strenuous  business  man.  Standing  before  a  bed  of  inconspicu- 
ous Echeverias  of  a  hundred  or  more  varieties  that  formed  part  of  this 
wonderful  collection  of  trees,  shrubs,  and  plants,  I  asked  the  gardener 
why  there  was  not  a  single  label  to  be  seen  in  the  entire  planting. 

The  lack  of  real  appreciation   on  the  part  of  the  family  and 

friends  was  betrayed  by  his  reply:  "Mr.  -  knows  their  names, 

I  know  their  names,  and  no  one  else  cares" 

Plant  Labels  That  Label. 

We  all  cared  in  Hillcrest  Manor;  so  did  some  of  our  friends. 
For  labels,  in  addition  to  a  carefully  adjusted  tree  label,  we  used 
soft  copper  strips  about  four  inches  long  and  an  inch  wide.  On  these 
were  indelibly  traced  with  a  sharp  steel  point  the  names,  after  which 
they  were  attached  by  a  bit  of  copper  wire  to  an  eighteen-inch  length 
of  galvanized  wire,  one  end  of  which  was  thrust  into  the  ground  at  the 


%  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

base  of  each  tree  or  shrub.  This  plan  prevents  the  usual  wire  cutting 
of  stem  and  branches,  while  labels  are  indestructible,  and  easily 
lifted  and  read.  True,  careless  workmen  sometimes  disturbed  or  plant 
growth  concealed,  but  generally  before  that  happened  the  name  of  the 
plant  was  fixed  in  the  minds  of  those  who  cared  to  know.  Bark  abra- 
sion in  staking  trees  was  prevented  by  having  the  cord  or  wire  enclosed 
in  a  short  piece  of  hose. 

The  Only  Work  That  Kills. 

Country  life  relieves  nerve  strain,  sweeps  cobwebs  from 
the  brain  and  gives  much  of  the  exhilaration  called  happiness,  yet 
many  stand  within  reach  of  these  influences  without  sensing  them.  I 
can  name  a  hundred  or  more  men  now  in  their  graves,  who  I  am 
certain,  would  have  lived  for  years  if  their  homes  had  been  in  the 
country.  A  new  horse  or  cow,  a  brood  of  chickens  just  out  of  the 
shell,  the  bloom  of  a  rare  flower,  a  newly  laid  out  road,  a  new  dog 
kennel — even  new  disappointments  and  new  worries  so  they  are  not 
associated  with  the  daily  grind — keep  the  heart  young  and  pave  the 
way  to  health.  It  is  severe  tension  along  one  line  that  kills.  I  pity 
the  man  of  millions  or  of  pennies  whose  burden  is  daily  carried  in 
a  beaten  track  from  either  counting  house  or  ditch-digging  to  a  city 
home.  One  needs  the  invigorating  air  of  hill  or  ocean,  not  for  a 
month  or  two,  but  for  at  least  a  portion  of  every  month  of  the  year, 
if  it's  no  more  than  a  Sunday  tramp  'cross  country.  Man  in  his 
strenuous  search  for  the  fountain  of  youth  finds  that  country  living 
•economizes  best  the  "failing  river  of  life." 

"The  world  is  too  much  with  us;  late  and  soon 
Getting  and  spending,  we  lay  waste  our  powers; 
Little  we  see  in  nature  that  is  ours ; 

We  have  given  our  hearts  away,  a  sordid  boon ! 

****** 

Great  God !     I'd  rather  be 

A  pagan,  suckled  on  a  creed  outworn ; 

So  might  I,  standing  on  this  pleasant  lea, 

Have  feelings  that  were  less  forlorn ; 

Have  sight  of  Proteus  rising  from  the  sea; 

Or  hear  old  Triton  blow  his  wreathed  horn." 
In  the  arboretum  record  book  were  scheduled  with  keen  interest 
the  homely  every-day  names  borne  by  those  flowers  of  the  wild 
which  grew  in  profusion  on  hill  and  in  woodland  and  dale,  meadow 
and  rough  pasture.  Daffy  down  dilly,  bouncing  bet,  black-eyed  Susan, 
ox-eyed  daisy,  Hessian  field  daisy,  Michaelmas  daisy,  hepatica,  wild 
balsam  or  touch-me-not,  corn  flower  or  bachelors'  button,  incomparable 
dandelion — the  every  month  in  the  year  flower — sky-blue  violets, 
spring  beauties,  and  the  wind  flower,  the  anenome,  grew  in  profusion, 
delighting  the  opening  eyes  of  childhood  with  their  continual  floral 
surprises,  and  glorifying  maturity  with  tenderest  recollections  of  the 


"YARBS"  97 

budding  romances  of  youth.  Only  common  field  flowers,  but  mighty 
factors  through  the  centuries  in  developing  and  ministering  to  man- 
kind. 

"Yarbs." 

In  different  corners  of  the  hedgerows  grew  "yarbs,"  and  at  the  edge 
of  the  woods  and  brook  shrubs  and  roots  that  from  the  time  of  the 
progenitors  of  Philip  of  Mount  Hope  through  a  half  score  of 
American  ancestors  have  .  cured  the  ills  of  puling  infancy  and 
eased  the  aches  of  old  age. 

"Scarce  any  plant  is  growing  here  that  against  death  some  weapon  does 

not  bear." 

Among  these  mute,  but  mighty  warriors,  defenders  and  prolongers 
of  man's  life,  were  thoroughwort,  stramonium  or  jimson  weed,  chamo- 
mile,  senna,  boneset,  snakeroot,  rhubarb,  self-heal,  sarsaparilla,  rue, 
smartweed,  plantain,  mandrake,  gentian,  wormwood,  fever-bush,  rheu- 
matism root,  alum  root,  colchicum,  bloodroot,  bayberry,  flagroot, 
arnica,  colic  root  or  star  grass,  sage,  sorrel  and  tansy,  and  in  larger 
growth  toothache  tree  and  balm  of  gilead,  planted  in  a  sheltered 
valley,  as  well  as  sassafras  and  witch-hazel,  some  of  which  in  our 
home  brewed  extracts  competed  and  often  successfully  with  those  of 
the  apothecary  shop.  We  brewed  decoctions  from  lily  of  the  valley 
and  the  fringe  tree,  and  from  the  rampant  growths  of  spearmint  and 
spikenard,  pennyroyal,  bergamot,  and  spice  bush,  basil  or  thyme, 
fennel,  caraway,  marjoram,  valerian  and  peppermint  we  expressed 
perfumes  that  permeated  every  corner  of  buffets  and  low  and  high- 
boys at  times  packed  to  their  capacity  with  trousseaux,  bed  linen  and 
best  bibs  and  tuckers. 

The  animal  kingdom  in  our  fields,  woods  and  at  brookside  had 
generous  representation  from  the  old-time  grannies,  or  rather  let  us 
crowTn  them  geniuses.  They  labeled  goatsbeard,  skunk-cabbage,  horse- 
radish, horse-geranium  and  horse-mint,  adder's  tongue  and  rattle- 
snake root,  spiderwort  and  bugbane,  crowfoot  and  coltsfoot,  cat- 
nip, ragged-robin  and  wake-robin,  cat-tail  flag  and  cat-brier ;  cowberry, 
cowslip,  cow-parsnip  and  goose  grass,  with  a  side  line  of  milkweed, 
butter  and  eggs  and  buttercups,  and  dogwood,  dogbane,  foxglove, 
chickwreed,  hen  and  chickens,  hogweed,  horse  tail,  duckweed,  leopard's 
bane,  crane's  bill  and  squirrel  corn,  crowberry  and  crowfoot,  sheep- 
berry,  shadbush,  nannyberry,  crab  apple,  and  toadstools,  often  over- 
night-surprise-plants. The  delicate  pink  of  the  bleeding  heart,  the 
spider-web  gauze  of  baby's  breath,  the  gracefully  waving,  pure 
white  festoons  of  the  bridal  wreath,  were  near  neighbors  to  the 
matrimony  vine ;  its  pale,  dull  pink  blossoms,  made  still  duller  by  the 
blazing  star  (called  the  devil's  bit,  the  old  fashioned  cure  for  quinsy), 
and  scarlet-lightning,  which,  with  the  Star  of  Bethlehem,  brightened 
hillside  and  pasture. 


98  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

Soil  and  varied  conditions  on  hill,  meadow,  at  brookside,  in 
lowland,  and  deep  woods  of  our  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  made 
it  possible,  with  the  aid  of  the  birds,  for  a  wide  range  of  plants  to 
find  a  footing  within  our  borders.  There  were  man-of-the-earth  and 
jack-in-the-pulpit,  the  bitter  tasting  corms  of  which  gave  Sir  Bruin 
when  he  formerly  ranged  our  marsh  land  a  bog  onion  breath, 
near  the  skull-cap  and  squaw-root  or  cancer-root,  the  latter  fasten- 
ing tightly  to  the  roots  of  the  beeches;  maiden  hair,  the  uncan- 
nily named  corpse  plant,  commonly  called  the  Indian  pipe ;  also 
dragon-arum  and  dragon-root  and  prince's  feather,  St.  John's  wort, 
and  St.  Peter's  wort.  The  pokeweed,  which  carries  in  its  root 
death  to  humans,  we  destroyed.  Great  masses  of  ragweed,  bur- 
dock, and  mullein  infringed  on  territory  belonging  to  their 
betters,  beggar's  tick  often  tagged  our  best  store  clothes  and  tumble 
weed  through  fall  winds  tumbled  dire  trouble  to  our  corn  and 
potato  fields.  Sitfast  (Ranunculus  repens)  fought  hard  for  even 
standing  room.  Mushrooms,  lichens,  and  mosses  grew  wherever  they 
could  gain  a  foothold.  Jewel  weed,  rosin  or  compass  plant,  ladies'  slip- 
per and  ladies'  thumb  and  smocks  and  tresses  all  flung>their  offerings 
at  our  feet,  keeping  pace  with  the  seasons.  These  wonderful  floral  out- 
bursts of  nature  repeated  before  our  very  eyes  the  ever  present  and 
unsolved  enigmas  of  birth,  life,  death  and  resurrction  as  they  have 
been  repeated  year  after  year  and  century  after  century. 
"Our  birth  at  best  a  sleep  and  a  forgetting, 

The  soul  that  riseth  with  us,  our  life's  star, 

Hath  had  elsewhere  its  setting,  and  cometh  from  afar. 

Not  in  entire  forgetfulness 

And  not  in  utter  nakedness 

But  trailing  clouds  of  glory  do  we  come 

From  God  who  is  our  home." 

The  Wild  Garden. 

One  walled-in  meadow  was  in  the  main  left  as  a  wild  garden. 
In  it  was  a  diversity  of  plants  and  flowers,  its  boundary 
walls  and  crevices  covered  with  the  purple  berried  ivy  of  lusty, 
bushy-headed  growth,  often  by  contact  so  poisonous  to  humanity 
that  because  of  its  searing  touch  and  brilliant  hue  it  might  be  called 
the  trail  of  the  fire  serpent,  but  eaten  with  impunity  and  well  relished 
by  horses  and  cattle.  It  was  allowed  to  remain  for  the  sake  of  its 
glorious  golden-red  autumn  coloring,  in  contrast  with  the  intense 
fire-red  of  the  woodbine  with  which  it  was  intertwined  and  often  ran 
races,  the  goal  being  the  topmost  branch  of  some  tall  cedar  whose  green 
background  brought  out  vividly  their  combined  and  rarely  beautiful 
autumn  shades,  but  any  growing  near  the  house  was  uprooted  in 
deference  to  its  malarial  reputation  as  well  as  its  poison  blight,  in 
fact,  poison  in  leaf  and  rootlet  lurked  in  woodland  and  meadow. 
The  poison  ivy,  prickly  nettle  and  pokeweed  warred  as  far  and 


MEAT  EATING  PLANTS  99 

as  deeply  as  inanimates  could   war  against  the   flesh,  but  the  twin 
guardians,  knowledge  and  care,  gave  them  a  losing  battle. 

The  discovery  of  a  thicket  of  sweet  fern  in  the  meadow, 
(thresholding  the  smoker's  paradise  of  the  farmer  boy)  gave  our 
youngest  as  great  a  thrill  as  the  blare  of  the  siren  calliope  heralding  the 
May  circus  that  periodically  interfered  with  spring  planting.  Here 
the  parasitical  dodder  relentlessly  throttles  to  death  the  staff  which 
aided  it  to  climb  upward  toward  the  life-giving  sunlight,  exactly  «y 
undeveloped  humans  shoulder  ride  and  crush  their  fellows.  There 
also  flourished  the  bindweed,  the  wild  morning  glory  and  patches 
of  chokeberries. 

Water  Plants. 

We  lined  the  banks  of  the  brook  that  ran  through  the  centre 
of  the  meadow  with  iris,  flagroot  and  such  other  water  plants  as  we 
could  collect*  Great  masses  of  mint  and  cress  edged  its  borders 
and  in  a  small  pool  were  grown  Egyptian  lotus  and  the  Victoria  Re- 
gia,  the  largest  leaves  seemingly  strong  enough  to  bear  the  weight 
of  a  child.  Close  by  were  yellow  and  red  wild  lilies,  pink  marsh- 
mallow,  with  its  delicate  and  profuse  bloom,  also  grew  to  perfection, 
and  could  be  seen  three  fields  away. 

Here  was  the  bright  orange  variety  of  milkweed  as  well 
as  the  silk-podded,  which  is  today  being  experimented  with  along 
rubber  producing  lines,  while  black  alder,  dogwood,  wild  aster  and 
Joe-pie-weed  made  a  very  thicket  of  blooms.  WThen  man  digs  deeply, 
he  will  find  the  word  weed  a  misnomer.  But  this  meao^pw  was,  not 
all  flowers ;  in  one  corner  was  a  patch  of  horseradish  and  near  the 
wall  a  surplus  row  of  rhubarb,  which  in  early  spring  we  forced  with 
a  manure  mulch  and  enclosed  within  headless  and  footless  barrels. 
From  that  same  State  microbiologist  we  learned  how  apogamy  or 
panthenogenesis  of  plant  life  was  well  exampled  in  the  green 
algae  that  scummed  a  stagnant  pool  in  a  corner  of  our  meadow,  and 
could  soon  classify  the  interesting  forms  of  oogamous,  thallophytic 
plants  which  grew  in  abundance  in  odd  corners,  on  dead  stumps  and 
in  waste  places. 

Bogland. 

In  one  corner  of  the  meadow  was  a  bog ;  here  the  stream  divided 
and  trickled  more  slowly.  A  bogless  farm  may  mean  better  farming, 
but  to  us  it  would  have  meant  absence  of  the  cheery  peep  of  the  rana, 
and  conditions  and  varieties  in  plant  life  that  mere  money  could  not 
buy. 

Meat  Eating  Plants. 

At  the  edge  of  the  little  stream  grew  two  kinds  of  meat  eaters 
— the  pitcher;  whose  victims  were  inveigled  to  a  watery  grave,  and 
the  hairy,  viscous  deluged  sundews,  whose  gladsome  hand  of  greet- 
ing swiftly  turned  to  a  throttling  hand  of  death. 


100  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

A  Double  Barreled  Plant. 

"When  one  shot  missed,  the  other  hit,"  was  the  verdict  over 
Lysimachia  terrestris  as  it  grew  both  tubers  and  seeds  on  its 
branches.  In  a  dry  season  it  propagated  by  seeds,  in  a  wet  one  the 
bulbs  which  dropped  to  the  ground  grew  as  the  seeds  rotted. 

Preachers  edged  the  bog,  and  their  red  fruit  brightened  minia- 
ture shaded  glades.  Scant  plant  food  in  the  soil  meant  larger  tubers 
and  in  some  plants  enlarged  branch  and  rootlet  stood  for  stored  up 
sunshine,  a  sort  of  plant-reserve-bank,  from  which  to  draw  sustenance 
in  a  measure  absent  from  the  sphagnum — mossy  peat — which  abounded 
in  our  bog.  Arrowheads,  walking  ferns  which  really  walked  on 
land,  cow  lilies,  smooth  stemmed  and  leaved  plants  and  sedge  and 
bur-reeds  glistened  'mid  watery  surroundings.  Brakes  spelled  aban- 
donment, as  attested  by  luxurious  bracken  growths  in  meadows  left 
untouched  by  the  ploughshare  and  death-dealing  scythe. 

Batrachians. 

Here  we  took  our  first  observation  lesson  of  the  tailless  and 
tailed4>atrachians,  from  the  near  tadpole  gill  breathing  stage  to  lung 
breathing  four  legged  salamanders.  The  green  frogs  of  the  lily  pads 
greened  still  brighter  when  herons  essayed  to  "lift  them,"  and  the 
brown  frog  of  the  woods  grew  more  woodsy  still  when  avoiding 
its  enemies — the  boy  that  kept  and  studied  turtles  and  bees  took  keen 
pleasure  in  testing  the  powers  of  the  changing  color  frog  from  Bog- 
land. 

A  real  floral  Jack-and-a-bean-stalk  was  the  Polygonum  Sacha- 
liense.  Longfellow's  first  boy  poem  about  Mr.  Finney's  turnip  aptly 
applied  to  it,  as  it  "grew  and  grew  and  grew  behind  the  barn." 
Planted  to  screen  a  stercorary,  perennial,  spreading,  and  unkillable, 
the  yard  stick  proved  that  from  frost  time  to  May  fifth  it  had 
stalked  upward  exactly  seven  feet  and  tried  its  best,  ere  the  summer 
waned,  to  punctuate  the  soil  for  a  good  square  rod.  Blooming  in 
August,  its  white  lacy  blossoms — embowered  banqueting  corridors 
and  halls  for  the  bees — wave  disdainfully  above  its  lowly  mission. 
Spreading  roots  are  its  greatest  drawback.  The  historical  camel  that, 
pushed  its  head  within  the  tent  flap  was  but  a  novice  usurper  beside 
Mr.  Polygonum  Sachaliense,  late  of  Japan. 

Snakes. 

Snakes?  Very  few,  and  harmless  at  that.  In  twenty  years  we 
saw  but  one  puff  adder.  Garter  and  milk  snakes  were  often  found, 
even  in  the  boys'  trousers  pockets,  and  an  occasional  black  snake  scur- 
ried across  our  path.  I  recall  abruptly  halting  one  assassin  red- 
handed  who  was  gulping  down  a  nestful  of  young  robins.  In 
throwing  over  a  stone  wall  we  once  found  their  eggs — a  half  dozen 


NEFER  CLOSED  BIRD  RESTAURANT  101 

or  more  clammy,  misshapen  objects — with  the  young  snakes  just 
emerging.  In  fact,  I  helped  the  wriggling  mass  of  snakedom  cross 
the  threshold  of  life  one  moment  and,  remembering  the  robin  episode, 
in  the  next  assisted  its  exit,  but  as  vermin  exterminators,  today  they 
are  spared. 

More  Trees  and  Shrubs. 

The  dark  foliage  of  the  Japanese  umbrella  trees  contrasted  well 
with  the  lighter  green  of  a  grouped  background  of  umbrella-headed 
catalpas  that  outlined  the  "heater  piece"  where  two  roadways  met. 
Glinting  through  the  silver  and  green  were  golden  chained  labur- 
nums, yellow  jessamine,  yellow  currant,  golden  yew,  golden  hop 
tree,  golden  oak  and  the  long  list  of  yellows  that  glowed  like  bottled 
sunshine  against  the  gray  of  overcast  days. 

Japan,  that  master  developer  of  Dame  Nature's  products,  was 
our  stand-by  as  exampled  in  lilac  and  quince,  magnolia,  sweet-scented 
syringa  and  delicate  blooming  deutzia,  as  well  as  the  golden  balled 
kerria,  that  has  been  brought  to  a  brighter  gold,  more  closely  knit,  and 
fuller  rounded  blossom  under  the  skies  of  Japan.  These  and  hundreds 
of  other  plants  attest  the  painstaking  propagation  of  centuries-.  • 

No  more  attractive  shrub  blooms  in  that  arboretum  than  the 
purple-fruited  Callicarpa.  Close  to  it  was  planted  the  straggling, 
silver  leaved  Baccharis,  and  back  of  the  two  a  noble  specimen  of  Nord- 
man's  fir,  whose  silver-under-sided  leaves  dance  in  sunlight.  The 
flaming  red  of  the  burning  bush  (the  Euonymous  or  strawberry 
tree,  one  of  the  few  plants  that  can  squarely  face  salt  water  without 
cringing,  but  whose  young  life  the  scale  dearly  loves  to  throttle)  is 
sandwiched  beween  flat-branched,  hardy  orange  trees,  full  of  yellowish 
uneatable  fruit.  Near  it  in  season  are  the  beautiful  shell-like  blossoms 
of  the  pearl  bush,  and  forming  part  of  the  same  background  is  the 
maiden-hair  tree.  The  luxuriantly  growing  mulberry,  whose  prolific 
crop  of  fruit  resembling  the  thimbleberry  drops  before  it  really  ripens; 
the  feathery  tamarisk  from  India  and  Africa;  the  tropical-looking 
catalpa — Indian  bean — whose  leaves  are  late  in  coming  and  among 
the  first  to  shrivel  with  frost,  contrast  well  with  a  group  of  golden 
elders,  in  turn  fronting  the  dark  purple  foliage  of  the  copper  plum, 
the  Prunus  pissardi,  and  close  by  it  the  rose  of  Sharon,  one  of  the  last 
plants  to  leave  and  bloom. 

Keyless  and  Never  Closed  Bird  Restaurant. 

Here  grew  that  shrub  of  shrubs,  the  sea  buckthorn,  Hippophae 
rahmnoides,  of  striking  silver  gray  foliage,  later  its  stems  packed 
with  orange  colored  berries  that  added  many  feathered  visitors  to 
our  home  bird  colony.  In  one  long  stretch  of  the  arboretum  where 
the  stroll  path  was  most  heavily  screened  we  made  a  protected  game 
preserve,  a  real  bird  paradise;  here  were  planted  a  wide  gamut  of 


102  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

berry-bearing  shrubs  interspersed  with  a  few  suet  decorated  trees  and 
bird  fonts  and  in  this  keyless  and  never  closed  bird  restaurant  the 
bursts  of  melody  were  most  divine. 

Yonder  is  a  sturdy  trumpet  vine,  holding  in  its  python  grip  the 
g  marled  and  barnacled  trunk  of  a  dead  cherry  tree.  Bitter- 
sweet and  clematis  lock  arms  in  the  clean-leaved,  white  flowering 
branches  of  the  fringe  tree,  at  whose  base  grows  the  silk  tree,  while 
near  it  are  the  Gymnocladus  or  Kentucky  coffee  and  nettle 
trees.  Backgrounding  these  are  light  green  feathered  larches,  in 
iront  the  appropriately  named  smoke  tree,  and  close  by  the  lurid 
autumn  leaved  varnish  tree,  the  Kolreuteria,  and  the  rarely  planted 
Stuartia,  the  American  camellia  or  tea  plant. 

Silverthorns,  hawthorns  and  thorn-apples  a-plenty  backed  the 
indigo  shrub.  The  flowering  almond,  fronted  by  great  masses  of 
garden  pinks,  contrasted  with  the  glorious  yellow  coreopsis,  while  mock 
orange,  bladder  nut  and  New  Jersey  teas  were  also  in  evidence.  The 
prostrate  cypress  and  the  little  English  yews  stood  side  by  side.  Neces- 
sarily, European  yews  in  our  young  country  are  small — it  takes 
hundreds  of  years  to  grow  the  mightiest  and  sturdiest,  as  exampled 
in  the  eleven  hundred  year  old  yew  of  Ripon  Abbey,  the  epitome  of 
strength  and  longevity.  Ours  were  barely  four  feet  high.* 
"Till  fell  the  frost  from  clear,  cold  heaven,  as  falls  the  plague  on 

man.'' 

In  spite  of  the  rare  beauty  of  the  numberless  varieties  of  golden 
rod  that  brightened  field  and  hillside,  and  later  the  shell-like  nodding 
heads  of  cosmos,  a  true  frost  flower,  the  swirl  of  feathery  chrysan- 
themum, and  the  late  bloom  of  wistaria  and  clematis  Jackmanni,  their 
coming  as  a  near  winter  harbinger  was  a  cloud  over  our  Garden 
of  Eden. 

Try-Out  Nursery. 

In  the  vegetable  garden  was  a  try-out  nursery  where  novelties 
were  grown.  Here  were  new  melons,  black  sweet  corn,  a  new  variety 
of  popcorn  to  gladden  and  shorten  the  long  winter  evenings,  gourds 
of  bright  color  and  odd  form, — one  variety  in  square  surface  area 
rivaling  our  prize  pumpkin,  and  scores  of  other  freaks  (some  of  them 
true  horticultural  pedants)  which,  though  purchased  with  wonderful 
promises,  often  failed  to  live  up  to  the  farmer's  past  stand-bys.  I 
recollect,  however,  some  corn  stalks  sixteen  feet  high,  selected  from 
the  twenty-acre  field,  that  gained  honorable  mention  at  the  County 
Fair.  We  grew  sweet  potatoes  of  large  size  but  small  flavor,  and  in 
our  own  biased  opinion  graduated  many  a  Nestor  in  the  agricultural 
world,  but  in  time  crucible  tests  often  revealed  a  dunce  who  flunked 
and  slipped  into  oblivion.  Among  other  fruits  was  a  French  straw- 


*The  American  sequoia  outdistances  by  full  two  score  centuries  England's  venerable 
yew.  Science  states  there  are  today  living  specimens  of  the  California  sequoias  that  were  old 
trees  before  the  pyramids  were  built. 


TRY-OUT  NURSERY  103 

berry  that  ripens  in  the  fall,  and  has  a  delicious  wild  strawberry  flavor. 
The  crop  was  larger  when  we  destroyed  the  June  blooms. 

Here  also  were  tested  some  of  the  seeds  franked  to  us  by  our 
Congressman  each  spring — in  fact,  the  collection  of  both  flower  and 
vegetable  seeds  furnished  free  by  the  Government  made  quite  a 
garden. 

Odd  hours  grew  into  years  of  painstaking  search  before  all  these 
plants  had  been  found  and  named,  but  they  finally  stood  on  the 
record  book  of  the  arboretum  and  lived  out  their  lives  in  fields,  woods, 
copse,  hedgerow  and  meadow,  save  when  the  brush  fire  got  beyond 
control,  as  it  sometimes  did  in  spite  of  the  cedar  bush  beating  given 
to  keep  it  within  bounds,  or  the  knife  of  the  mower  transferred  the 
floral  harvest  of  bloom  to  the  hay  mow,  or  the  cattle  nipped  the  bud- 
ding blossoms. 

From  the  green  hills  of  Vermont,  at  the  base  of  Mt.  Mansfield, 
we  freighted  two  large  boxes  of  trailing  arbutus,  with  a  goodly 
quantity  of  the  soil  in  which  they  grew.  These  were  planted  in  a 
grove  of  Austrian  pines,  protected  from  our  roving  cattle,  and  it 
was  always  a  joyous  discovery  to  find  them  peeping  through  the  late 
spring  snows.  As  the  seckle  is  the  generally  accepted  standard  of 
flavor  in  the  pear  kingdom,  the  arbutus,  "the  darling  of  the  forest," 
should  be  the  standard  of  fragrance  in  the  world  of  flowers. 

Ere  the  plant  fever  developed  and  before  that  rural  instinct 
dormant  in  all  mankind  had  become  a  living  thing,  the  choicest  shrubs 
meant  to  me  only  a  bit  of  attractive  color  or  graceful  form,  hence,  I 
rarely  grew  impatient  over  some  city  guest's  patronizing  and  flippant 
comment:  "Yes,  it's  beautiful,  but  isn't  it  a  lot  of  care?"  and  five 
minutes  after  the  remark  the  visitor  couldn't  recall  any  detail  of  that 
which  was  such  an  expression  of  the  Divine  as  to  be  fit  to  embower 
the  gates  of  Paradise.  My  frequent  panacea  for  outraged  feelings 
was  to  lash  the  offenders  unmercifully  with  a  torrent  of  easily 
acquired  botanical  names  such  as  Taxodium  distichum,  or  Bambusa 
metake,  but  I  soon  reverted  to  the  normal  habit  of  calling  an 
Aralia  spinosa  a  Hercules  club  or  a  Viburnum  plicatum  a  Japanese 
snowball,  realizing  that  I  had  in  the  past  been  a  greater  ingrate  and 
a  grosser  culprit  than  my  guest. 

The  arboretum  required  careful  planning,  but  it  paid,  for,  aside 
from  the  joy  of  accomplishment,  it  made  a  connecting  link  between 
the  house  and  grounds,  giving  an  air  of  permanence  and  completeness 
to  the  entire  development. 

Moving  Day. 

Moving  day  had  now  arrived  for  the  farm  house.  "Not  good 
enough  for  this  particular  site,  but  very  good  for  some  other  near  by," 
was  the  verdict  of  the  jury,  and  horse,  block  and  windlass,  roller, 


104  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

plank,  and  guy  moved  it  a  foot  at  a  time  over  the  fourteen  hundred 
feet  traveled  to  reach  its  new  homesite.  With  its  removal  the  sun  of 
our  twenty  year  farming  day  sank  beneath  the  horizon,  and  man's 
final  estate  as  described  in  the  line,  "we  shall  soon  be  fogies,"  began 
to  cast  faintly  outlined  shadows  the  day  we  gave  up  the  farm. 

Farmers  Versus  Commuters. 

While  raising  corn  for  the  silo,  we  were  raising  roof-trees  for 
the  commuter,  and  in  the  next  hundred  pages  is  a  record  of  how 
we  worked  out  the  farm  problem  into  the  villa  community,  made 
easier  by  the  fact  that  the  roads  in  Hillcrest  Manor  closely  articu- 
lated with  various  highways. 


HILLTOP 


105- 


CHAPTER  IV. 

HILLTOP — STONY    CREST — THE    GABLES — BUENA    VISTA — HILL- 
CREST  HOUSE — STORM  KING — STONEHENGE — SKY  ROCK 
— BRIERCLIFF — CROFTLEIGH    HOUSE — CLIFFMONT — 
BREEZEMONT — LEDGES — DRACHENFELS — ISLAND 
HOUSE — CROSSWAYS — RED  TOWERS. 

THE  first  house  with  which  I  changed  the  sky-line  of  the  rough- 
Connecticut  farm  was  Hilltop,  two  large  stone  chimneys 
its  main  motif.  Hilltop  was  built  before  the  advent  in  numbers 
in  this  country  of  the  skilled  Italian  stone  chimney  mason,  who,  while 
often  moving  slowly,  rarely  picks  up  the  wrong  stone.  I  finally 
found  a  native  boss  mason  willing  to  tackle  the  job.  The  chimneys, 
built  of  selected  lichen-covered  stones,  both  within  and  without,  grew 
fast,  and  with  them  the  house,  of  plain  but  strong  design.  Three 
large  rooms  lined  toward  the  south,  with  the  two  exterior  chimneys 
of  field  stone  equidistant  from  each  end.  The  stair  hall  was  thrown 
toward  the  north  in  a  semi-ell,  and  kitchen  in  the  same  manner  at 
the  other  end,  connected  by  a  columned,  palm-decorated  one-story 
corridor.  On  the  second  floor  bedrooms  were  all  on  the  south 
and  a  well  ventilated  and  lighted  hall  on  the  north.  That  roof  of  roofs 


HILLTOP. 


106  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


HIU,  TOP      VIEWS 


TREELESS  AND  TREED  HILLTOP. 


WHAT  CHLOROPHYLL  DID  IN  EIGHT  YEARS    107 

3TOHYCRE5T 


EIGHT  YEARS 
TREE    AND   SHRUB   GROWTH. 


108  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

-STOHYCRJEST 


THE  ADDITION  TO  STONYCREST. 


FLOOR  PLANS  OF  OUR  BEST 


109 


H1LLCHEST  HOUSE  MBIT  Ptooa 


~i_ 


STOHYCFJEST 


1    !  ,-      1 

•LjJJ  r 


m 

L_  _J 


PT-, 


.SECOKD  STOHV  FLOOR  flJ 

OF  BUEMA  VI5TAB 


''.J 


THE  BIG  FOUR. 


110 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


for  space,  the  gambrel,  gave  large  attic  rooms.  Yes,  Hilltop,  the 
first  modern  house  in  Hillcrest  Manor,  in  presence  and  convenience 
was  called  a  success. 

Snap  Shots  of  Building  Progress. 

Rarely  have  I  built  without  taking  photographs  at  different 
stages,  making  important  data  for  future  reference.  First,  the  bare 
site,  then,  in  natural  sequence,  the  hole  in  the  ground,  the  stoned- 
up  cellar,  upright  corner  posts,  and  so  on  to  the  completed  dwelling, 
and  year  after  year  the  increased  tree  and  shrub  growth,  with  each 
photograph  usually  taken  in  scale  with  some  well  known  object  as 
man,  dog,  or  horse. 


STONYCREST. 

After  Hilltop  came  Stonycrest,  whose  roof  outline  formed  one 
of  its  several  motifs.*  The  stone  entasis  foundation,  the  big  sheets  of 
glass  from  floor  to  door  and  window  top,  windows  that  occupied 
almost  the  entire  ends  of  the  rooms,  and  the  deeply  recessed  inglenook 
two  steps  below  the  hall  with  its  tiled  floor  in  which  was  inset  a  lion 
rampant,  were  some  of  its  features. 

In  the  chimney  centre  was  a  colored,  leaded  glass  window 
necessitating  a  double  fireplace  flue;  had  it  faced  the  hills  it  would 
have  been  of  clear  plate  glass.  Box  windows  extended  up  into  the 
partitions  in  low  studded  rooms,  allowing  larger  view  panes. 

*The  original  plan  called  for  an  arched  corridor,  connecting  stable  and  house,  as  shown 
on  page  108. 


UTILIZING  STONE  WALLS 


111 


IN.  TH& 

STOHY  CFWT 


DETAILS   IN    THE    BUILDING    OF    STONYCREST. 


112 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THE  HOUSE   THAT  SPANNED  A  CITY  BLOCK. 


PREVENTION  OF  VERANDA  DECAY 


113 


Translucent  glass  formed  the  risers  in  outside  steps  as  well  as 
back  stair  flight,  flooding  the  basement  and  cellar  with  light,  an 
excusable  bit  of  commercialism.  Heavy  twenty-four  inch  fluted 
columns  flanked  the  entrance  hall  on  either  side,  and  still  other 
features  were  a  niched  window  on  the  stairs,  the  great  south  plant 
window  with  curved  top  transom  of  stained  leaded  glass,  and  oaken 
carved  griffins — a  copy  of  those  designed  by  Richardson  for  the  library 
building  in  Burlington,  Vermont — ornamenting  the  front  door  lintel. 

But  the  prevailing  exterior  motif  was  the  roof,  that  with  curve 
and  mitred  soffit,  peak  and  dormers,  tried  both  purse  and  patience. 
As  I  remember  it,  six  carpenters  worked  six  weeks  to  close  in  and 
finish  that  roof  in  all  its  details,  but  it  was  generally  conceded  to  be 
a  thing  of  beauty. 

The  entrance  posts  built  of  big  boulders  were  capped  by  rough 
stone  laid  in  basket  form  for  flowering  plants,  and  fitted  with  gal- 
vanized iron  drainage  pipes.* 

Prevention  of  Veranda  Decay. 

To  dispose  of  rain  water  on  the  piazza  a  strip  of  ten-inch-cop- 
per flashing  fastened  with  copper  nails  at  the  edge  of  piazza  floor, 
formed  a  slightly  inclined  gutter,  its  outer  edge  cemented  into 
the  stone  veranda  rail  as  the  stone  was  being  laid  up  and  connected 
with  spouts  leading  into  blind  drains.  This  prevented  decay  in  floor 
and  beams  and  solved  the  annoying  veranda  water-drip  problem  when 
the  veranda  abuts  against  a  solid  stone  railing.  The  bulkhead  cellar 
doors  of  wired  glass  were  screened  and  protected  from  uncontrolled 
grass  or  brush  fires  by  plant-decorated  ramparts  of  rustic-laid-up 
stones.  Twice  we  lost  valuable  buildings  through  burnings-over  care- 
lessly handled. 


THE  GABL.ES. 


*Nine  hundred  dollars  was  the  cost  of  the  posts  and  short  fences  which  joined  them  and 
in  three  years  low  evergreens  and  vines  completely  concealed  their  contours  Cheap  but  sub- 
stantial boulder  posts  screened  with  vines  would  have  answered  as  well. 


114 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


A   WIDE    RANGE   IN    FARM   LIFE. 


LEAF-ROOFED  VERANDA  CEILING  115 

A  short  thousand  feet,  and  we  stand  on  the  wide  veranda  of 
a  long,  low  villa.  "The  Gables"  featured  a  dozen  outside  balconies. 
Hall,  parlor  and  dining  room  were  on  the  ground  floor  as  well 
as  the  kitchen  extension  which  joined  the  dining  room  by  a  long 
butler's  pantry.  Yes,  it  was  winged,  and  its  isolation  meant  freedom 
from  clatter,  heat,  and  odors.  Overhead  were  servants'  rooms,  bath, 
house-maids'  sink  room,  etc.,  and  laundry  and  cellar  beneath. 

The  second  floor  had  many  connecting  rooms,  and  increased  area 
was  obtained  by  building  the  front  line  of  the  house  over  the  fifteen 
foot  veranda,  all  overhang  being  thoroughly  deadened. 

Third  floor  rooms  were  made  unusually  cool  by  the  high  studded 
loft  with  three  ventilating  windows  hinged  from  the  bottom  to  keep 
out  rain.  These  opened  inward,  were  chain-hung  at  top  and  proved 
practical  ventilators. 

Leaf-Roofed  Veranda  Ceiling. 

The  ampelopsis  has  taken  possession  of  the  veranda  ceiling, 
and  one  sits  beneath  a  leafy  canopy,  while  English  ivy  keeps  the  north 
stone  posts  green  all  the  year.  As  the  ceiling  boards  will  last  at 
least  ten  years  and  possibly  twenty  and  can  then  be  renewed,  the 
unique  beauty  of  this  verdure-bowered  ceiling  made  the  doing  worth 
while.  Occasional  sprinkling  with  insecticide  downed  fly,  mosquito 
and  spider.  An  improvement  would  be  an  indestructible  cement 
ceiling. 

All  balconies  are  well  flashed,  canvas-covered  and  thor- 
oughly painted.  Door  sills  are  sharply  sloped  and  have  triple  rab- 
bets. A  poorly  built  balcony  invariably  leaks  and  is  a  large  factor 
in  falling  ceilings  and  stained  walls,  and  window  frames  about  caps 
and  sills  need  special  flashing  and  close  jointure. 

Open  and  roofed  verandas  extend  on  four  sides  of  The  Gables, 
and  include  a  servants'  porch  broad  enough  for  an  outdoor  dining 
room  at  the  rear  of  the  house,  well  screened  from  the  front  entrance. 

In  Gables  we  succumbed  to  the  arguments  of  the  wall- 
paper salesman,  only  to  find  that  sand-finished  walls  intended  for 
paint  or  muresco  and  stencil  treatment  rebel  when  papered.  Fall 
winds  sweeping  through  open  doors  and  windows  stripped  off  roses, 
pansies,  and  nasturtiums  by  the  yard. 

Buena  Vista. 

Here  is  shown  Buena  Vista,  which,  with  its  length  of  228  feet, 
stretches  a  full  city  block.  It  is  built  to  fit  the  contour  of  the  ground. 
When  I  first  bought  the  farm  and  named  it  Hillcrest,  I  walked  out 
on  these  ledges  and  planned  to  sometime  tie  the  lichen-covered  stone 
outcroppings  together  with  a  Moorish  castle.  After  years  of  wait- 


116  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

i  [  BUBHAVISTA& 


I 


SOUTH  AMD  WEST  TROJ1T 


THE  WORTH  FRONT 


THE   MOORISH   CA.STLE. 


THAT  SIREN  INFECTED  ORCHARD  117 


THIS  IS  OUR    *OH£.ST 
THAT  ROOF. 


118 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


ing  and  a  score  of  months  of  continuous  labor  the  castle,  with  stucco 
sides,  and  roof  and  towers  of  tile,  at  last  crowned  the  hill,  welcoming 
guests  and  owner  through  archway,  up  the  broad  stairway,  and  into 
its  hospitable  halls.  Extravagance  in  paneled  wainscot  and  beamed 
ceiling  ran  riot,  as  in  leaded  lights,  arch-windowed  turrets,  and  the 
copper-flashed,  tiled  roof,  viewed  from  the  lookout  of  which  Buena 
Vista  seemed  like  a  miniature  city. 


BUENA   VISTA. 


I  believe  that  Tennyson,  with  his  love  for  tile,  as  against 
"slated  ugliness,"  would  have  appreciated  that  roof,  though  it  will 
be  decades  before  it  takes  on  its  northern  slope  the  moss-grown 
shades  that  pleased  the  poet.  One  can,  of  course,  use  tile  in  much 
less  glaring  colors,  and  in  so  doing  span  a  century. 

In  Buena  Vista  were  picture  windows  so  large  and  heavy  that 
they  could  not  be  conveniently  opened,  a  remembered  lesson  to  me. 
When  I  again  tackled  8x8  foot  picture  windows  they  swung  on  pivots 
inserted  in  top  and  bottom  or  on  either  side.  Fortunately,  windows 
were  so  numerous  in  Buena  Vista  that  stagnant  air  was  unknown. 

Hardware  in  the  reception  room  was  gold  plated;  this  was  not 
extravagant  and  never  needed  polishing. 

Yes,  it's  a  scrawny,  uninteresting  apple  orchard,  but  you  will 
see  how  in  landscaping  the  east  side  of  Hillcrest  House,  I  used  these 
old  apple  trees  as  a  foil  to  the  big  building. 


THE  STONE  FRAMED  MOORISH  C4STLE        119 


HILL  CREST  HOUSB 


THE  STOKE 


THE  BAST  ETiTRAIiCE 


A   STONE    FRAMED    LANDSCAPE. 


120 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


The  Siren  in  the  Apple  Blossom. 

The  amateur  farmer  greets  an  apple  orchard  with  open  arms, 
looking  upon  it  as  the  sure  means  of  paying  the  hired  man,  possibly 
carrying  part  of  the  interest  on  the  bank  mortgage,  and  giving  a  severe 
drubbing  to  the  wolf  that  stands  ever  at  the  door  of  man's  domicile. 
His  dream  of  a  home  embowered  in  apple  blossoms  gives  him  patience 
and  courage  to  put  up  with  the  old  house  a  while  longer, 
and  tends  to  dissipate  the  occasional  depression  caused  by  muddy  roads, 
delayed  trains,  the  unreason  of  farm  help,  and  the  myriad  difficulties 
that  daily  dog  the  steps  of  him  who,  if  undeveloped,  cannot  throttle 
disappointment  or  rise  above  vexatious  surroundings.  So  the  apple- 


THE   SITE  OP  HILLCREST  HOUSE 
AS  IT  LOOKED   BEFORE   WE   DUG   THE   CELLAR 

blossom-dream  lures  him  on  until  he  awakens  to  realize  that  apple 
blossoms  last  but  one  week  of  the  fifty-two,  that  insects  and  fungi 
blight  and  disfigure,  that  a  lawn  is  impossible,  as  grass  grows 
unevenly  and  sparsely  under  the  wide-spreading  branches  of  apple 
trees  whose  trunks  often  angle  most  ungracefully,  and  that  gener- 
ally both  view  and  breeze  are  shut  out  by  their  intertwined  branches. 
In  a  word,  if  house  and  grounds  are  to  be  made  attractive  to  the 
owner,  the  axe  must  be  his  best  friend.  Apple  trees  out  of  place 
are  an  aggravation,  but  it  takes  more  courage  to  obviate  the  difficulty 
than  was  shown  by  "The  Little  Minister,"  who,  spite  of  the  fact 


KINGSHIP  OF  LI V ING 


121 


that  the  nearness  of  the  cherry  tree  to  his  house  menaced  both  health 
and  comfort,  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his  predecessor,  the  old 
curate,  and  "never  could  find  the  axe." 


HILLCREST   HOUSE. 

Hillcrest  Hall  and  the  Kingship  of  Living. 

It's  a  long  stride  from  the  base  of  Hillcrest  House  to  the  lookout 
that  crowns  its  ridge,  from  which  is  an  extended  view  of  land  and 
sea.  Truly  one  feels  the  kingship  of  living  more  keenly  from 
house  or  mountain  top,  and  even  in  lowly  cabin  instinctively  searches 
for  a  place  on  the  roof  from  which  to  breathe  air  that  does  not  hug 
too  closely  the  dusty  highway. 

A  rare  building  was  the  big  house.  The  oaken  staircase  of 
steamer  stair  design  had  a  wide  single  flight  to  a  landing  lighted  by  a 
broad  window  of  Tiffany  sta:ned  glass,  then  divided  into  two  separ- 
ate flights.  Stair  rail  was  in  keeping  with  the  oak  paneled  hall, 
while  string  piece  and  balustrade  were  ornamented  with  metal  beading. 

The  dining  room,  20  x  30  feet,  with  doors  at  either  end,  led  on 
the  east  to  a  tiled  and  fountained  court  and  on  the  west  to  a 
conservatory.  The  ebonized  antique  oak  trim  increased  its  apparent 
size,  especially  as  main  windows  were  at  each  end. 

The  butler's  pantry  was  8x25  feet,  and  stairs  therefrom  led 
to  the  servants'  suites  in  the  ell. 

Drawing  room  was  in  bird's-eye  maple,  with  stained  glass 
leaded  transoms  in  the  broad-seated  bay,  representing  the  four  seasons 


122  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

of  an  apple  orchard;  blossoming  tree,  half-grown  fruit,  matured 
apple  crop,  and  snow-laden  boughs.  Mantel  face  and  hearth  were 
onyx  with  shelf  supported  by  ormolu  or  mosaic  gold  brackets  and 
lower  half  of  the  broad  window  opening  on  veranda,  next  to  a  side 
door  screened  with  translucent  leaded  glass. 

Hillcrest  Hall  towered  four  stories,  and  required  a  plot  of  land 
more  than  one  hundred  by  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  to  com- 
pass its  angles  and  curves.  There  were  at  least  two  hundred  win- 
dows. It  represented  both  joy  and  worry  in  large  measure,  and  I 
grayed  a  bit  during  its  building. 

Fireproof  Den. 

Adjoining  the  library  was  a  fireproof  den  of  iron,  brick,  and 
cement,  with  two  air-spaced  metal  doors,  iron  shuttered  and  barred 
windows,  and  a  wide  fireplace.  Under  this  den  was  a  large  stone 
walled  room,  its  sides  lined  with  asbestos  covered  metal  shelves, 
making  an  ideal  filing  room  with  fireplace  ventilation. 

On  the  second  floor  were  the  usual  half  dozen  bathrooms,  tiled 
to  the  ceiling,  and  masters'  bedrooms,  both  with  and  without  bal- 
conies, dressing  rooms  with  mirror  doors,  and  everywhere  a  super- 
abundance of  large  closets. 

The  billiard  room  windows  on  the  third  floor  overlooked  thirty 
miles  of  Sound  and  country.  Wall  decorations  were  pictures  of  hunt- 
ing, yachting,  fencing,  and  other  sports. 

Pistol  Gallery. 

Here  was  a  Japanese  room  with  lanterned,  divaned  and  draped 
cosy  corner,  and  leading  therefrom  a  well  ventilated  pistol  gallery, 
where  bullets  harmlessly  impinged  against  the  massive  stone  chimney 
breast.  In  the  centre  of  this  long  corridor-like  room  stood  a  rowing 
machine. 

A  large  linen  and  a  cedar  closet,  the  former  having  two  full 
sized  doors,  completed  this  story. 

On  the  fourth  floor  were  housed  the  personal  attendants  of 
guests,  distinct  from  house  servants'  quarters  in  the  kitchen  ell. 

Gym.  in  the  Open. 

Over  the  arched  and  gargoyled  porte  cochere,  screened  by 
window  boxes  filled  in  summer  with  flowering  plants  and  in  winter 
with  evergreens  pruned  in  curves,  is  an  outdoor  canvas-floored  gym- 
nasium, equipped  with  trapeze,  punching  bags  and  other  parapher- 
nalia to  be  used  for  that  few  moments'  morning  exercise  in  the  open 
that  fills  the  lungs,  develops  the  muscles,  straightens  the  form,  and 


ON  THE  STOCKS 


123 


THE  TIEHmHWlDTHE  HAMMER  AMD  SSW 

mr 


A  PRIMITIVE  LABOR  &AVEP. 


EACH  STEP  AND 
CAP  A  SIRGLE  STOTIB 

i. 


THE-BOLB  BAUD   SlTF/ 


RUGGED   STONE   WORK. 


124  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

makes   the   blood   surge   and   tingle,   putting   one    in    fine   fettle    for 
wrestling  with  the  day's  work. 

The  Rest  Room. 

Over  the  coachman's  nook  on  the  same  floor  is  a  writing  or  rest 
room  with  fireplace,  reached  from  the  house  by  the  pergolad  outdoor 
gym.,  a  place  to  pull  tired  nerves  into  alignment,  a  room  theoretically 
a  luxury,  but  in  reality  a  necessity. 

•v 

Porte  Cochere  Fireplace. 

Supporting  the  portals  of  Hillcrest  House  were  grouped  a  half 
score  of  massive  stone  arches,  framing  a  broad  porch  room,  as  shown 
in  the  accompanying  photographs,  from  which  a  large  area  of 
countryside  is  visible.  At  the  outer  side  of  the  porte  cochere  was 
built  a  high  arched  inglenook  with  a  six  foot  wide  stone  fireplace,  stone 
settles  and  recessed  windows,  intended  as  a  waiting  shelter  for  those 
who  serve.  Folk-lore  has  it  that  during  the  Revolution  the  Father 
of  our  Country  was  concealed  over  night  in  a  cave  less  than  three 
miles  across  lots  from  Hillcrest  Manor.  Whether  the  statement  is 
true  or  false,  its  underlying  sentiment  coupled  with  our  require- 
ments caused  us  to  transport  by  a  double  yoke  of  cattle  a  flat 
stone  from  the  mouth  of  this  cave  to  the  fireplace-ingle  in  the 
coachman's  nook,  where  today  it  serves  as  a  settle  as  it  may  have 
served  our  first  president. 

Hero  of  New  England's  Dark  Day. 

We  are  on  historic  ground,  for  on  the  slope  of  the  hill 
yonder  lived  Abraham  Davenport,  that  hero  who,  when  New  Eng- 
land's dark  day  to  the  Puritan  mind  threatened  the  wrath  of  God, 
rose  amid  his  trembling  fellow  legislators  in  the  council  hall  at  Hart- 
ford and  in  the  words  of  New  England's  poet  of  the  hills  said : 

'  'Let  God  do  His  work,  we  will  do  ours; 
Bring  in  the  candles.'     .... 
A  witness  to  the  ages  as  they  pass 
That  simple  duty  has  no  place  for  fear." 

Putnam's  Ride. 

Across  the  valley  we  see  Put's  Hill,  down  which  General  Israel 
Putnam  was  pictured  in  our  school  books  as  recklessly  urging  his 
galloping  steed  while  the  pursuing  English  halted  at  the  edge 
of  the  steep  declivity.  In  the  foreground  is  the  plain  'cross  which  he 
dashed  to  safety,  while  just  west  of  the  hill  is  the  stone  chimney  of 
the  inn  where  he  was  eating  when  interrupted  by  his  unwelcome 
callers.  We  are  also  but  a  short  mile  from  Fort  Nonsense,  thrown 
up  by  the  same  rash  and  impetuous  Putnam  in  face  of  querulous  criti- 
cism on  account  of  its  useless  location. 


GARDENS  OF  HILLCREST  HOUSE 


125 


C-.ARDEHS  of  HILLCREST  HOUSE 


WELL-HOUSE,  PERGOLA  AND  GREENHOUSE. 


126  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THE  SKELETOH   1M  THE  VERMIDA 


THE    BUILDING    OP    THE    BIG    HOUSE. 
From    Foundation    Upward. 


STONE  AND  WOOD  SKELETONS 


127 


WHBKB  SEVEH  ftRCHRS   MEET 


ARCH  AND  ARCH  AND  ARCH. 


128  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THE  HEW  EHTRPJ1CE     LOOKIMO  SOUTH 


FIVE  YEARS  LATER  LQQKmo,  WORTH       SUMMER 


THE  SAME  EJ1TRAMCB   TNWIJITBP       B-JT  WOT  in  DISCOHTEHT 

THE    ENTRANCE    TO    HILLCREST    FARM    AND    MANOR. 


BARE  GROUND  TO  DENSE  FOLIAGE  129 

The  House  of  the  Cross. 

The  cross  was  used  as  a  motif  in  the  building  of  Storm  King, 
the  roof  of  the  porte  cochere  extending  far  enough  beyond  the  house 
to  form  an  outdoor  lounging  room,  or  ombra,  entirely  separate  from 
the  main  building  which  is  planned  to  throw  the  four  wings  of  the 
cross  into  one  large  fountain-centred  room.  The  manner  of  lighting 
the  third  story  rooms  with  side  sliding  windows  under  the  wide  over- 
hang left  an  unbroken  roof  line,  much  to  the  joy  of  any  architect 
visitor,  though  it  circumscribed  the  view.  The  clapboards  with  which 
Storm  King  is  sided  were  mitred  instead  of  abutting  against  a  corner 
board. 

Pompeiian  Fountain 

Under  the  porte  cochere  and  against  the  side  of  the  ombra  was 
placed  a  counterpart  of  one  of  the  drinking  fountains  unearthed 
at  Pompeii,  in  which  one  sees  the  depression  worn  in  the  stone  two 
thousand  years  ago  by  the  hand  of  the  passer-by  as  he  leaned  against  it 
while  slaking  his  thirst. 

In  the  tower  a  broad  winding  stairway  followed  the  circu- 
lar sides  to  the  top,  a  somewhat  difficult  piece  of  work,  especially  the 
hand  rail. 


STORM  KING. 

Crowning  a  high  ridge,  its  broad  measurements  and  outlying 
wings  making  it  stolidly  indifferent  to  storms  that  rack  and  even 
rock  the  ordinary  house,  Storm  King  appeared  as  firm  as  its  impreg- 
nable foundation,  save  when  a  severe  thunder  storm  vibrated  the 
granite  ledges. 

The  Cromlech  Stone. 

Directly  opposite  Storm  King  is  Stonehenge,  that  seems  to  grow 
from  the  ledge.  Centreing  the  lawn  is  a  rough  bouldered  flat-topped 
stone  similar  to  those  strange  altars  that  once  served  for  Druidical 


130  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

rites  and  sacrifices  that  make  us  moderns  shudder  at  the  horrible 
unaccountable  cruelty  of  forbears — thank  God — ages  removed.  The 
big  arched  entrance  is  half  barricaded  by  a  low,  stone-capped  wall, 
leaving  ample  space  to  enter  the  vestibule  behind  it,  the  design 
filched  from  Phillips  Brooks'  house  in  Boston.  Overhead  high  stained 
glass  windows  are  framed  in  the  stones.  Opening  a  heavy  oak- 
battened,  iron-studded  door,  one  enters  a  small  but  lofty  vaulted 
hall.  The  dining  room  is  on  the  same  level.  It  is  sixteen  feet  to  the 
beamed  ceiling  formed  by  the  second  story  4x12  surfaced  floor  tim- 
bers. This  manner  of  making  a  beamed  ceiling  demands  air  spacing 
and  very  thick  deadening  to  eliminate  overhead  noise. 


STONEHENGE. 

Dining  Room  on  New  Lines. 

Few  houses  at  twice  the  cost  have  as  fine  a  dining  room  as  "Stone- 
henge,"  whose  high  ceiling  admits  of  the  adjoining  space  being 
cut  into  two  seven-foot  rooms  on  different  levels.  One  of  these  leading 
from  the  dining  room  forms  a  cosy  inglenook,  its  red  leather  trimmed 
settles  built  each  side  the  fireplace  standing  out  in  baronial  richness 
against  the  ebonized  wood.  The  other  adjoining  room  is  the  butler's 
pantry  and  over  both  a  mezzanine  floor,  making  an  ideal  den  but 
necessarily  with  a  low  seven-foot  ceiling. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  dining  room  French  windows  open- 
ing to  the  floor  lead  to  a  sheltered  outdoor  breakfast  room 
and  semi-conservatory.  On  the  west  over  the  low  broad  ebonized 
sideboard  are  especially  designed  leaded  windows  through  which 
streams  vari-colored  light,  while  on  the  east  is  a  doorway  of  the 
unusual  height  of  fourteen  feet,  tapestry  draped,  giving  com- 
manding presence ;  in  fact,  any  room  rightly  located  is  made  impres- 
sive without  extra  cost  by  an  unusually  high  portiered  doorway. 


DINING  ROOM  ON  NEW  LINES 
BRIERCLIFP 


FROM  ALL   SlCfBS    AHD  1M  ALL   SEASOTJS 


131 


BRIER  CLIFF  FROM  ALL  POINTS. 


132  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

In  the  side  wall  to  the  left  of  hall  entrance  is  a  projecting 
oriel  window  connecting  library  and  dining  room,  and  on  the  north, 
as  we  have  seen,  over  inglenook  and  butler's  pantry,  the  little 
den  whose  swinging  casements  of  leaded  glass  open  near  ceiling  height 
into  the  dining  room. 

Sky  Rock. 

Just  beyond  Stonehenge  and  northwest  of  Storm  King  stands 
Sky  Rock.  Its  high  cliff  foundations  and  turreted  outline  silhouetted 
'gainst  the  sky  line  make  it  true  to  name,  fitting  the  cragged  site  as  a 
long  low  building  fits  a  plain. 

The  veranda  view  compasses  a  wildness  of  forest  and  ravine  that 
belong  to  a  wilderness  rather  than  to  a  property  within  one  hour 
of  New  York  City.  From  the  roof  lookout  is  an  unobstructed 
horizon  view. 

A  desirable  motif  for  a  country  house  is  a  ten-foot  wide  fireplace 
opening  as  seen  in  Sky  Rock.  The  entrance  hall  is  20x30  feet,  with 
dining  room  a  close  second  in  size.  One  side  of  the  latter  is  bayed, 
overlooking  forest  and  valley,  through  which  winds  a  silver-threaded 
river,  merging  into  the  waters  of  Long  Island  Sound.  In  the  distance 
are  the  blue-hazed  sand  banks  of  Oyster  Bay. 

Settle  in  Stone  Ledge. 

A  broad  entrance  porch  fronts  the  cliff  on  the  west.  In  it 
is  a  settle  cut  in  the  stone  ledge  on  which  Sky  Rock  is  built.  Cement 
steps  from  the  porch  lead  upward  to  an  iron-banded-donjon 
gate.  Foot  pressure  on  either  metal  door  mat  or  old  fashioned 
scraper  starts  the  clanging  of  a  gong  that  doubtless  in  feudal  times 
called  many  a  doughty  warrior  to  don  gasket  and  breastplate  to  repel 
invaders,  but  today  answering  that  summons,  the  gate  swings 
wide  to  greet  the  arriving  guest,  who  steps  into  an  ideal  porch 
room,  one  of  the  half  dozen  motifs  that  inspired  the  building 
of  Sky  Rock.  The  marquise  is  formed  by  a  curved  extension  of  the 
platform  of  the  porch  room, which  is  about  25x30  feet.  Densely 
headed  rock  maples  and  tall  walnuts  bar  the  western  sun. 

Domed  Hall. 

From  the  porch  a  wide  Colonial  door  opens  to  the  living  room 
from  which  in  turn  three  steps  lead  to  a  broad  stair  landing,  holding 
a  piano,  a  couch  and  a  couple  of  chairs.  On  the  west  side  of  this 
landing  are  two  long  leaded  windows,  each  four  by  twelve  feet, 
while  directly  opposite  is  a  stairway  six  feet  in  width  leading  to  a 
second  story,  circular,  -vaulted  hall  twelve  feet  in  diameter  with  coved 
ceiling,  centreing  in  a  dome  of  colored  glass.  Inset  in  the  floor  above  is 
a  sheet  of  translucent,  extra  heavy,  floor  wire  glass.  This  entrance  hall 
is  pierced  by  six  doors  and  connects  with  a  nine  foot  wide  galleried 


A  ROUND  DINING  ROOM  133 

hall  with  barreled  ceiling.  Opening  therefrom  are  the  sleeping  rooms. 
The  halls  are  unusual,  but  considered  a  success,  and  form  one  of  the 
motifs  of  Sky  Rock. 

A  basement  and  first  story  conservatory  and  fountain  for  the 
southeast  corner  I  never  built.  Leading  from  the  living  room  and 
wide  veranda,  they  would  form  a  feature  well  worth  adding. 

On  the  south  wall  was  placed  a  motto-circled  sun  dial. 


BRIER    CLIFF. 

Here  is  "Brier  Cliff,"  riveted  so  closely  to  the  ledge  as  to  seem 
part  of  it.  The  veranda  built  on  three  sides  narrows  under  the  porte 
cochere  on  the  front  and  extends  to  a  belvedere  on  the  west. 

A  Round  Dining  Room.* 

Brier  Cliff  has  stone  fireplaces,  French  windows  and  balconies 
on  three  stories,  and  a  circular  dining  room,  with  curved  bay  on  the 
west,  opening  to  the  veranda,  while  the  duplicate  bay  on  the  east 
has  two  mirror  doors,  reflecting  the  woods  and  the  ravine  gorge 
through  which  plunges  the  river,  whose  swirling  current  has  worn 
its  way  deep  into  the  rock.  The  steep  sides  of  the  ravine  are  held  in 
place  by  lofty  evergreens,  tall  walnuts  and  enormous  boulders,  some 
of  which  make  caves  within  the  rough-edged,  lichen-covered  ledges, 
while  others  are  strewn  in  wild  confusion  along  the  rugged  sides  and 
in  the  river  bed,  forming  what  we  called  Ausable  Chasm,  Junior.  It's 
a  wild  forest  scene  from  the  west  veranda  of  Brier  Cliff. 

Nearly  all  rooms  are  corner  rooms,  with  broad  vistas  from  every 
window.  The  centre  space  in  the  attic  is  used  as  a  billiard 
hall,  with  balconies  built  over  the  valley.  There  are  large  rooms  at 
either  end.  Climbing  still  another  stairway,  one  enters  the  tower 
lookout,  commanding  the  horizon  on  all  sides.  North,  south,  and 
east  are  landscaped  villas,  while  on  the  west  is  a  forest  wilderness. 

*In  another  house  an  elliptic  dining  room  gave  better  proportions,  the  waste  corners 
utilized  in  adjoining  room.-  and  hall  as  closets 


134 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


The  Crow's  Nest  in  the  Hemlock. 

On  the  ravine  side  is  a  firmly  built  platform  half  way  up  the 
trunk  of  a  big  hemlock,  reached  by  a  railed  step-ladder,  forming  a 
veritable  crow's  nest  among  the  feathery  boughs.  Here  the  tune  of 
the  hemlock's  faithful  branches,  "green  not  alone  in  summer  time, 
but  in  the  winter  frost  and  rime"  brings  rest  and  inspiration. 

Croftleigh  House  with  its  Galleried  Veranda. 

A  few  steps  from  Brier  Cliff  stands  one  of  the  most  enjoyable 
houses  in  Hillcrest  Manor.  Croftleigh  House  has  two  pronounced 


CROFTLEIGH    HOUSE. 

motifs  that  at  once  stamp  it  as  out  of  the  ordinary.  One  is  the 
galleried  veranda,  projecting  about  sixty  feet  from  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  house,  and  ending  in  a  big  porch  room  supported  by 
stone  posts.  This  room  overlooks  the  same  charming  valley,  threaded 
by  the  same  silver  stream,  its  beauty  and  utility  greatly  enhanced  by 
separation  from  the  house,  standing  as  it  does  so  that  breezes  reach 
it  from  all  sides.  Still  farther  away  one  sees  the  Sound  and  the  sand 
bluffs  of  Long  Island. 

Feature  Levels. 

The  second  and  interior  motif  is  a  combination  of  rooms  at  slight- 
ly different  levels.  North  of  the  entrance  hall  three  steps  lead  down- 
ward to  the  dining  room  and  three  steps  under  the  large  stair-land- 
ing bring  one  to  the  rear  hall  door  leading  to  the  east  veranda.  Open- 
ing this  and  the  front  door  ventilates  the  entire  house. 

Hall,  dining  room  and  stairs  are  Colonial,  with  white  enamel 
finish ;  the  stair  rail  of  mahogany.  The  broad  landing  with  curved 
front  holds  a  piano  and  a  grandfather's  clock,  and  over  it  is  a  three 


THE  IDEAL  SUITE 


135 


sectioned,  leaded,  bayed  window  with  arched  head,  to  ceiling  height, 
its  delicate  tracery  of  design  showing  through  lacy  curtains  that 
break  the  glare  of  the  eastern  sun. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  dining  room,  midway  between  floor  and 
ceiling,  leaded  casements  light  the  little  den  reached  from  a 
back  stair  landing  practically  in  the  same  way  as  in  Stonehenge, 
making  a  wide  musicians'  balcony.  Over  the  dining  room  mantel, 
high  in  the  brick  chimney,  is  a  niche  with  leaded  design  in  clear  glass, 
where  rare  bric-a-brac  can  be  displayed. 

The  Ideal  Suite. 

Croftleigh  had  one  especially  large  double  bedroom  with  five 
exclamation  points — exclamations  synonyming  view,  size,  glorious 
sunshine,  air,  and  acme  of  comfort.  When  visitors  crossed  its  thresh- 
old, it  was  only  a  question  which  point  was  voiced  loudest  or  first. 
This  room  extended  the  entire  width  of  the  house — some  fifty-five  feet 
— and  faced  the  south,  with  an  horizon  view  of  hill,  vale,  meadow, 
and  Long  Island  Sound,  fringed  in  the  distance  by  the  sand  bluffs 
of  Oyster  Bay.  The  eastern  outlook  embraced  vineyards,  orchards, 
sloping  hillside,  flower  and  vegetable  garden,  field  and  pasture  land, 
and  the  details  of  husbandry  that  make  for  joy  as  well  as  utility  in 
country  living,  while  on  the  west,  barring  a  couple  of  extensive 
country  homes,  lay  a  wilderness  of  forest  and  stream,  with  broad 
vistas  beyond. 

In  the  boudoir  portion  of  this  ideal  room,  separated  by  grille  and 
column  from  the  main  room,  was  a  generous  fireplace.  The  bedroom 
end  connected  with  a  completely  appointed  tiled  bathroom  and  a 
sleeping  porch  8x  15  faced  the  southwest.  The  fourth  compass  point 
was  compassed  by  a  projecting  bay. 


CLIFFMOXT. 


136  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


CLIFFMOHT 


FRAPTIMG  AND  FINISHING 


SHAPING    UP    SQUARED    UGLINESS. 


OUTLOOK  FROM  THE  FARM 


HILLGKEST      THE. 

METAMORPHOSE!)  TAKM 


HILLCREST  AND   ONE   NEAR   NEIGHBOR. 


138  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

One  of  the  motifs  of  Cliffmont,  whose  grounds  join  those  of 
Brier  Cliff,  is  the  outdoor  dining  room  reached  through  the  living 
room,  and  well  shaded  by  trees.  The  railed  platform  on  which 
it  is  built  is  protected  by  an  awning  and  forms  the  roof  of  the 
garage.  Cliffmont  boasts  an  exceptionally  large  lookout. 

The  stairs  climb  upward  at  the  back  of  the  chimney  from  the 
living  room,  and  are  side-settled  at  newel  post. 

In  Cliffmont,  as  in  several  of  the  other  houses,  a  boudoir  suite, 
with  its  connecting  rooms  which  make  ideal  living,  occupies  the  entire 
south  front  of  the  second  story,  with  south,  east,  and  west  windows. 
In  the  sitting  room  end,  which  is  separated  by  columns,  is  a  fireplace 
and  inglenook,  settled  and  grilled.  A  connecting  bathroom  forms  the 
third  member  of  the  suite. 


BREEZEMONT. 

Misleading  20  x  30  foot  Rooms. 

Breezemont  in  plan  and  location  justifies  its  name.  It  has  one 
of  the  20x30  foot  living  rooms  that  I  have  frequently  built,  but 
no  two  of  which  looked  the  same  size,  owing  to  difference  in  height, 
location,  style,  decoration  and  furnishing,  which  if  arranged  with 
"malice  aforethought"  can  be  made  to  increase  the  apparent  size  of  a 
room  twenty-five  per  cent. 

Balconies,  windows  and  well-lighted  bedrooms  are  among  the 
features  of  Breezemont,  the  largest  bedroom  facing  all  points  of  the 
compass  by  means  of  a  windowed  alcove. 

Tree  Basket  Nest. 

A  big  buttonwood  tree  grows  through  the  centre  of  the  veranda 
floor,  and  high  in  its  branches  is  chain-hung  a  strongly  framed,  wire 
basket-nest  large  enough  for  a  children's  playhouse. 


MISLEADING  20  x  30  FOOT  ROOMS 

BRBBZBMOHT 


139 


FROM   OUTLINE   TO  FINISH. 


140  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

Ledges,  an  English  house  built  around  a  12  x  12  foot  stone 
chimney  stack,  with  quaint  stair  tower,  big  arched  and  stone-settled 
fireplaces,  beamed  ceilings  and  timbered  and  stuccoed  interior  as  well 
as  exterior  walls,  is  unusual,  perched  on  a  cliff  overlooking  a  steep, 
wooded  incline,  fretted  at  its  base  by  rock-strewn  rapids  of  the  swirl- 
ing river. 


LEDGES. 

Norman  Tower. 

In  Norman  tower  are  set  the  slit  windows  of  mediaeval  times, 
through  which  feudal  lords  and  their  retainers  repelled  with  javelin 
and  bow-gun  invading  hordes. 

Before  speeding  northward  to  Drachenfels,  that  house  of  mighty 
spaces  built  in  the  centre  of  a  rare,  Long  Island  Sound-bordered 
woodland,  and  ere  we  leave  the  undulating  meadows  and  pic- 
turesque wooded  knolls  of  Hillcrest  Manor,  we  will  bid  adieu  to 
the  patriarch  of  this  group,  the  old  farm  house  that  stood  there 
before  swamps  were  reclaimed  and  the  wilderness  of  bramble  and 
brier  made  to  blossom  as  the  rose;  when  the  arable  land  was  simply 
potato  patches,  corn,  and  hay  fields  instead  of  orchards,  vineyards, 
Colonial  and  Italian  gardens,  and  country  villas. 

In  the  houses  in  Hillcrest  Manor  I  tested  various  modes  of  con- 
struction ;  a  log  slabbed  building ;  an  odd  design  in  roofing  tile ;  stucco 
in  its  varied  forms,  plastered  on  either  wooden  or  steel  lathing ;  laying 
clapboards  rough  side  out  and  staining  as  we  do  shingles;  siding 
with  lapped  wrhite  wood  boards  twelve  inches  wide,  mitred  at  the  cor- 
ners; belting  side  walls  with  shingle  laths  over  clapboards;  shingles 


A  NORMAN  TOWER 


141 


WHERE   SOME   OF   THE   STONE   WALLS  LANDED. 


142 


laid  with  different  weatherage,  seven  coursed  shingle  roofs  lapped  in 
curves  to  imitate  thatch ;  tile-hipped  and  tile-ridged  shingle  roofs, 
and  a  half  height  shingled  veranda  rail,  topped  with  low  wooden 
paling;  novelty  siding  on  outbuildings  or  battens  with  one  side  nail- 
ing and  slip  joint  to  prevent  splitting,  as  well  as  blocked  cement, 
hollow  brick  and  terra  cotta  construction  and  veneered  air-spaced 
brick,  tearing  out  again  where  the  effect  failed  in  harmony  and  the 
result  was  unsatisfactory. 

During  these  building  years  we  turned  nature  topsy-turvy — 
at  least,  so  said  the  farmer's  sons  who,  after  a  twenty-year  absence, 
revisited  their  birthplace. 

The  Adirondacks  at  the  City's  Threshold. 

Within  an  hour's  drive  or  a  fifteen  minutes'  motor  trip  from 
Hillcrest  Manor,  a  rough,  wooded  tract  edges  on  one  side  a  small 
lake,  on  the  other  the  Sound.  Through  this  tract  was  built  a 
winding  road,  fringed  by  white  oak,  chestnut,  cedar,  hemlock,  birch 
and  beech,  leading  to  the  Sound.  It  is  like  a  bit  of  the  Adirondacks 
at  the  city's  threshold  and  includes  two  verdure-crowned,  rock-edged 
islands,  deep  ravines  and  wooded  knolls,  through  which  wind  two 
miles  of  roadway.  Here  we  built  Drachenfels. 


DRACHENFELS. 

The  house  itself  is  baronial  in  appointments  and  decorations. 
A  steep  driveway  leads  to  a  porte  cochere  on  the  east.  The  oaken 
door  is  six  feet  wide,  with  heavy  iron  hinges  and  a  knocker  from  an 
ancient  castle  on  the  Rhine.  Stepping  through  the  doorway,  one 
stands  in  a  beamed  and  columned  hall  of  20  x  40  feet,  with  a  thirteen 
foot  ceiling.  The  twelve  foot  wide  mahogany  staircase  flanked  by 


ADIRONDACKS  AT  THE  CITY'S  THRESHOLD     143 

DRACHEUFBLS 


HOW  WE  TRANSFORMED  DULL 
nORTH  LIGHT  T0  SUNLIGHT 


THE  WINDOW  EXACTLY  SIXTEEN 
FT-ET  SOUARU  on  THE  STAIR 
LWIDIHG 


MANORIAL  AND  IN  SOME  FEATURES  BARONIAL. 


:144  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

Ionic  columns  leads  to  a  stair  landing  twenty  feet  in  length  with  a 
ceiling  forty  feet  high,  wainscoted  and  settled,  in  whose  wall  is  a 
sixteen  foot  square  concave  window  of  green  and  golden  leaded  glass, 
colors  which  swing  the  compass  from  north  to  south.  Its  form 
makes  it  appear  six  feet  higher  than  its  width,  a  point  we  remem- 
bered in  building  other  concave  windows.  A  broad  columned 
entrance  hall  opens  on  the  west  to  a  veranda  twenty  feet  wide. 

The  Colonial  dining  room,  20  x  30  has  wide  columned  alcove 
window  and  mahogany  beamed  ceiling. 

All  mantels  are  high,  wide,  and  deep;  one  marble,  others 
mahogany,  gilded  wood,  or  white  enamel  finish  in  keeping  with  the 
rooms. 

French  windows  open  from  parlor  to  porch,  showing  in  their 
curved  muntins  a  touch  of  Versailles.  The  veranda  has  an  excep- 
tionally low  stone  rail,  increased  to  normal  height  by  boxes  of 
plants.  Posts  are  unusual,  as  seen  in  the  photograph,  with  tops 
broader  than  bases — seemingly  too  slender  at  the  bottom,  but  for  the 
enlarging  stone  support  which  is  a  foot  or  two  above  the  low 
stone  rail.  They  are  of  chestnut  plank  built  about  a  heavy  chestnut 
centre,  the  forty-two  members  of  each  post-shell  held  together  as  hard 
and  fast  as  iron  can  band  them. 

A  Trussed  Transom. 

Twin  picture  windows  of  one  sheet  of  plate  glass  at  the  west 
end  of  both  the  long  parlor  and  library  are  each  nine  feet  wide  and 
six  feet  high.  A  thirteen  foot  ceiling  allows  of  leaded  light  transoms, 
but  the  wooden  parting  strip  is  barely  two  inches  wide,  and  when 
they  were  first  placed  a  gale  threatened  to  dash  the  whole  front  to 
the  floor.  The  problem  was  solved  with  a  two-inch  truss-iron 
set  edgewise  laid  closely  against  each  side  of  the  lock-rail  its  full 
length  within  and  without.  It  could  not  be  beaten  in  with  a 
sledge  hammer  as  far  as  the  parting  strip  is  concerned.  The  library 
has  mahogany  book-cases,  high  columned  mantel,  wide  window 
settles,  and  a  big  observatory  window  with  leaded  transom. 

Under  the  stair  landing  is  a  butler's  pantry  with  three  divi- 
sioned  sink  of  planished  copper  to  avoid  dish  breaking.  It  extends 
the  length  of  the  three  windows,  which  thoroughly  light  this  impor- 
tant room. 

An  easy  flight  of  basement  stairs  brings  us  to  the  tarred  and 
cemented  cellar  blasted  from  the  ledge.  It  is  and  has  always 
been  a  stranger  to  moisture,  except  as  the  area  entrance  was  flooded 
before  we  bricked  and  drained  it,  and  built  an  overhead  wire-glass, 
light  giving  bulkhead  roof  that  shoots  the  water  where  it  belongs,  into 
cobbled  gutter  and  thence  to  flower  garden  and  lawn.  The  stone 
walled  basement  extends  under  the  entire  house,  and  contains  kitchen, 


SWINGING  THE  COMPASS 


145 


THE  TWELVE  FOOT  VHDB  STAIR 


THE    TWELVE    FOOT    STAIR. 


j 


146  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

laundry,  man's  room,  refrigerator  and  storerooms,  shower  room  for 
the  athlete,  tool  room  and  billiard  room,  the  latter  with  arched  and 
settled  stone  fireplace  that  would  rouse  to  the  joy  of  living  the  most 
phlegmatic  and  pessimistic  skeptic  or  indifferent  stupid  tyke. 

Returning  to  the  first  floor,  one  passes  under  the  big  cement- 
sheathed  and  terra  cotta  fire-protected  steel  I-beams  that  stiffen 
the  house  immensely  and  carry  the  north  side  of  the  hall,  and 
climbs  the  broad  stairs  to  the  20  x  40  foot  second  story  hall,  which, 
wainscoted  and  beamed,  forms  a  vaulted  room  from  which  tran- 
somed  French  windows  lead  to  the  west  balcony. 

In  the  forty-foot  staircase  tower,  half  way  to  the  third  floor  the 
flight  is  broken  by  a  projecting  mahogany  railed  balcony  which  seems 
suspended  in  mid-air.  The  stair  turns  and  lands  between  columns 
on  the  third  floor,  wrhere  are  rooms  and  baths  for  guests. 

There  is  a  fourth  floor  for  servants  and  above  that  the  lookout. 

All  bathrooms  are  tiled,  fixtures  of  the  best,  properly  back-aired, 
and  with  chimney  ventilation. 

Hanging  Balcony. 

Scant  head  room  under  the  curved  balcony  leading  to  the  third 
floor  prevented  the  use  of  twelve  inch  wooden  girders.  Instead  of 
the  ugly  chain-hung-from-ceiling  method,  two  pieces  of  heavy  iron 
trolley  rail  placed  through  double  walls — one  a  closet  wall — and 
fastened  thoroughly  by  braces,  gave  a  fine  holding  purchase.  On  this 
the  balcony  was  built,  and  it  is  as  solid  as  the  proverbial  meat  axe. 

Drachenfels  has  a  boulder  stone  foundation,  sides  of  stucco  pan- 
eled with  chestnut  timbers,  and  roof  of  stain-dipped  shingles.  (It 
should  have  been  of  slate  or  tile.)  Plate  glass  is  used  in  all  lower, 
and  clear  leaded  glass  in  all  upper  windows,  except  twenty  or  more 
which  are  of  stained  glass.  There  are  balconies  from  bedrooms  and 
balconies  from  halls,  their  floors  canvas  covered ;  window  seats  boxed 
full  length  for  dresses,  many  windows  columned,  and  with  suitably 
colored  leaded  light,  specially  designed  stained  glass  transoms  for 
halls,  dining  room,  library,  parlor  and  bedrooms,  and  hard  wood  floors 
throughout  the  house,  some  with  parquetry  borders,  but  avoiding 
sharp  color  contrast  which  tends  to  curtail  the  size  of  a  room. 

Twin  Chimneys. 

The  chimneys  of  Drachenfels  are  stone,  and  one  of  its  chief 
motifs  is  shown  in  the  twin  chimneys,  one  at  either  side  of  the  amber- 
hued  16x16  foot  leaded  north  window.  Indeed,  Drachenfels  fairly 
teems  with  motifs.  The  first  floor,  each  room  of  which  has  broad 
sliding  doors,  converting  the  large  area  into  one  room  at  will ;  the 
twelve  foot  wide  stairway,  the  stair  hall  alcove  with  its  forty  foot 
height  and  striking  leaded  windows,  and  the  mid-air  balcony  are  all 
well  worth  working  out. 


A  POST  WIDER  AT  TOP  THAN  BOTTOM        147 


DRACHEHFELS 


ao  FOOT  WIDE  VERANDA 


A  POST  WIDER  AT  TOP  THAN  BASE, 

~ 


A  TWENTY   FOOT  VERANDA. 


148 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THE  HOUSE  WHICH  EDGED  A  FOREST. 


BUILDING  OF  CROSS  WAYS 


149 


THAT  TWEtVt  fOOT  WIDE 

THE  LAWNS  OF  DRACHENFELS. 


150 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


The  Crater  Garden. 

Grounds  are  arboretum-edged,  while  on  the  lawns  are  grouped 
choice  and  desirable  shrubs  and  trees,  and  there  is  a  rare  Druid- 
ical  garden,  into  the  centre  of  which  was  dragged,  by  that 
double  yoke  of  cattle,  a  ponderous,  representative  Cromlech  stone. 
This  garden  outlines  a  miniature  Monte  Nuova  crater  like  that 
just  outside  of  Naples.  Standing  on  its  edge,  one  looks  down  at  a 
varied  mass  of  flowering  shrubs  and  plants.  The  winding  paths  are 
bordered  by  old-fashioned  box,  while  lily,  eglantine  and  honeysuckle 
perfume  the  air  and  brilliant  blossoms  carpet  the  ground.  This 
wonderful  little  basin  was  of  nature's  fashioning;  man  simply  in- 
tensified its  beauty  by  rearrangement  and  planting.  In  some  ways 
it  outclassed  an  Italian  formal  garden. 


ISLAND   HOUSE. 

Passing  through  the  depth  of  the  forest  that  surrounds  Drachen- 
fels,  as  shown  in  the  accompanying  picture,  in  a  spot  where  time  and 
again  the  Indian  pitched  his  wigwam,  stands  Island  House.  When 
one  crossed  the  causeway,  flashing  in  view,  it  seemed  like  a 
new  discovery,  so  hidden  by  foliage  and  rocky  cliff  was  this  ideal  semi- 
bungalow  with  the  big  living  room  and  stone  fireplace,  stairway  hid- 
den behind  the  chimney,  wide  veranda,  and  upper  balconies  over- 
looking the  water.  The  veranda  posts  rustic,  the  house  itself  attractive 
and  homelike,  it  is  the  best  example  I  know  of  a  thoroughly  con- 
structed, plastered  and  finished  house  built  in  ten  weeks.  There  are 
ten  rooms  of  good  size,  and  it  cost  exactly  $3,000.  A  pokehole 
head  hitting  cellar  was  the  one  drawback  and  a  needless  error. 

Two  miles  'cross  country,  at  the  meeting  of  the  ways,  stands 
Crossways.  With  that  broad  towering  exterior  stone  chimney,  it  fits 


THE  CRATER  GARDEN 


151 


152 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


rarely  the  demands  of  country  architecture  as  well  as  the  site. 
Across  the  front  of  the  house  is  a  wide,  roofed  veranda,  extend- 
ing beyond  the  house  line  on  the  northwest  corner.  How  often 


CROSSWAYS. 

I  pity  humanity,  baking  on  a  south  or  east  veranda,  when,  by  building 
it  as  above  and  using  an  open  rail,  cool  southwest  breezes  and  a 
broadened  view  are  obtained. 

Building  up  the  stone  foundation  into  two  foot  high  base  sup- 
ports to  the  veranda  posts,  as  shown  in  the  photograph,  gives  greater 
stability  and  a  more  pleasing  effect  than  a  continuous  wooden  railing. 
The  wooden  posts  should  have  been  twice  as  large. 
The  Lavatory  Theft. 

A  screened  minstrels'  balcony  on  the  stair  landing  is  one  of  its 
features.  A  couple  of  steps  under  the  main  stairway  give  ample 
head  room  in  a  lavatory  practically  stolen  from  the  cellar,  a  plan  well 
worth  more  general  adoption.  Either  living  or  dining  room  may  be 
used  for  eating,  as  winter's  sun  or  summer's  shade  dictates,  for  in 
the  large  butler's  pantry  are  doors  to  each. 

The  windowed  hall  on  the  third  floor  in  the  ell  between  ser- 
vants' quarters  and  main  house  is  utilized  as  a  servants'  bathroom, 
but  may  be  used  as  a  thoroughfare  on  occasion,  connecting  the  two 
portions  of  the  house,  as  fixtures  are  screened  with  a  wooden 
paneled  partition — a  pardonable  makeshift  under  some  circumstances. 
Crossways  stands  for  comfort  in  every  line. 

Red  Towers. 

When  I  left  Orange,  the  birthplace  of  Red  Towers,  I  took 
with  me  as  foreman  a  man  born  in  Orange,  who  had  never  seen  a 
rough  bouldered  stone  wall  like  those  crossing  Westchester  County 
and  Connecticut  in  all  directions.  Indeed,  the  house  is  built 
in  a  stoneless  land,  as  we  in  Connecticut  understand  stone  and  land. 
I've  cleared  many  a  Connecticut  pasture  with  oxen,  dynamite  and 


AMERICA'S ,  GIANT  CA  USE  WAY 


153 


crowbar  when  there  were  upheaved  on  the  surface  enough  stones  to 
completely  cover  the  ground  to  a  depth  of  several  feet  and  in  a  single 
winter  on  less  than  a  dozen  acres  have  had  ten  thousand  inches 
drilled  and  dynamited,  yet  Orange  is  hardly  sixty  miles  'cross  country 
from  Hillcrest  Manor.* 


RED    TOWERS. 

America's  Giant  Causeway. 

Red  Towers  savors  a  bit  too  much  perhaps  of  the  aggressive  in 
architecture,  yet  is  a  dream  of  comfort  within,  while  without  a  half 
dozen  years'  growth  of  trees  and  vines  softened  and  toned  its  outline. 
Red  Towers  was  a  compromise  between  Queen  Anne  and  an  effort  to 
do  something  out  of  the  ordinary,  a  common  failing,  but  standing  for 
progress.  It  had  many  good  points  towering  above  its  neighbors 
in  its  sheath  of  green,  with  foundation  of  selected  hard  brown 
sand  stone,  first  story  trap  rock,  similar  to  that  in  the  Giant's 
Causeway  in  Ireland,  and  taken  from  a  pillared  rock  deposit  in  the 
Orange  Mountains,  whose  broken  surface  is  almost  a  jet  black  and 
hard  as  flint — hearsay  states  it's  the  only  Giant's  Causeway  in  America. 
The  mortar  joints  were  red ;  the  balance  of  the  house,  both  side 
walls  and  roof,  covered  with  red  tile,  ornamented  on  chimney  face 
and  banded  under  the  balcony  with  terra  cotta  bas-reliefs,  while  the 
tower  was  copied  from  one  built  on  College  Hill  in  Burlington,  that 

*The  man  who  reduces  acts  to  figures  and  glories  in  statistics  states  that  allowing  fifty 
cents  a  day  for  labor  the  stone  walls  of  Connecticut  equal  in  cost  the  improvements  of  all  kinds 
in  the  entire  state. 


154  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

hill  of  hills  where  from  the  windows  on  one  side  are  seen  Mt.  Mans- 
field and  the  rare  green  mountains  of  Vermont,  and  from  those  on 
the  other,  snow-crowned  Mt.  Marcy,  rising  above  Lake  Champlain, 
surrounded  by  the  health-giving  pine  forests  of  the  Adirondacks. 

A  large  wood  carving  arched  the  porch  veranda  entrance,  be- 
fore which  was  a  broad  stepping  stone  of  granite  six  by  eight  feet. 

The  front  door  was  of  quartered  oak  with  carved  lintel  and 
leaded  light,  the  knocker,  in  which  was  cut  the  owner's  name, 
made  from  a  knight's  vizor,  while  the  brass  strap  hinges  and  lock 
were  heavy  and  of  quaint  design. 

The  hall  was  trimmed  in  real  cherry  of  dull  velvet  finish,  and 
the  brick  hooded  mantel,  ceiling  high,  decorated  with  moose 
horns.  Two  large  pillars  carried  the  centre  of  the  house,  and  sliding 
doors  connected  double  parlors,  dining  room,  conservatory  and  hall, 
making  it  possible  to  form  one  great  pillared  room  when  desired. 
The  upper  half  of  each  conservatory  sliding  door  consisted  of  a  six 
foot  square  of  plate  glass. 

Conservatory. 

A  honeycombed,  ornamental  design  in  the  brick  wall  under 
the  conservatory  was  copied  from  a  palatial  residence  in  the  Berkshires 
and  the  glaring  spectacle  windows  from  some  forgotten  source. 

The  conservatory  formed  the  arc  of  a  circle  at  one  side  of  the 
house,  its  roof  of  heavy  skylight  wired  glass  with  ventilators  protected 
by  galvanized  wire  screens.  It  was  later  roofed  in  wood  to  prevent 
breakage.  Glass  electroliers  and  brackets  were  used  to  avoid  corro- 
sion. Connected  by  a  private  stair,  but  on  a  lower  level,  leaving  an 
unobstructed  view  from  the  dining  room  windows,  were  the  green- 
houses. From  these  windows,  one  looked  out  on  a  continuous  bouquet 
of  bloom  so  far  below  and  at  such  an  angle  as  to  overcome  objection- 
able glare. 

Just  beyond  were  the  cold  graperies,  roof  connected  to  give 
length  and  proportion,  yet  entirely  separated,  and  with  air  space 
between  to  avoid  plant  contamination  through  insect  or  disease. 

The  library  alcove,  with  high  leaded  windows  over  the  book- 
shelves, was  in  a  bayed  tower,  and  opened  from  the  southwest 
parlor,  while  from  the  north  parlor  was  a  door  leading  to  the  north- 
west veranda,  thoroughly  awned  and  with  absolutely  water-proof 
floor.  The  space  beneath  served  for  storage,  sides  being  screened  with 
translucent  glass. 

Quartered  oak  trim  was  used  in  dining  room,  which  was  wain- 
scoted and  had  a  squared  bay  on  the  southeast.  The  butler's  pantry 
on  the  west  was  also  trimmed  in  quartered  oak. 

The  basement,  mainly  above  ground,  contained  kitchen,  laundry, 
man's  room,  storage  and  furnace  rooms,  with  potting  house  and 
'  boiler-room  under  the  conservatory. 


THE  SELECTED  FLOOR  155 

One  servants'  bath  was  in  the  basement,  side  walls  to  a  height 
of  six  feet  and  the  floor  being  covered  with  thick  skylight  glass — an 
unwise  experiment  as  it  proved  slippery. 

Kitchen  walls  were  faced  with  white  glazed  brick. 

The  basement  was  made  absolutely  water-tight  and  ground  air- 
proof  within  and  without  with  underdrains  and  tar  and  cement  treat- 
ment on  floor  and  side  walls. 

From  cellar  to  third  floor  was  a  lift  large  enough  for  trunks, 
but  the  block-and-tackle  rigged  in  the  upper  loft  over  the  stair  well 
proved  a  disastrous  experiment. 

The  entire  second  floor  trim,  like  entrance  hall,  stairs,  and 
parlor,  was  of  genuine  cherry. 

One  dressing  room  and  an  outdoor  bedroom  overlooked  Llewel- 
lyn Park  and  the  mountain.  The  bed  alcove  connected  with  bath 
and  dressing  room,  and  was  separated  from  the  boudoir  by  a  Moorish 
horseshoe  arch  fifteen  feet  wide  reaching  from  floor  to  ceiling. 

The  billiard  room  on  the  third  floor  was  plaster  finish  to  tower 
peak.  On  this  floor  were  bedrooms  with  special  features,  for  instance, 
mantels  of  unique  design  from  eight  to  twelve  feet  in  width, 
special  cabinets,  odd  shelving,  and  picture  windows,  also  dressing 
rooms. 

The  red  birch  floors  were  selected  from  a  pile  of  flooring  con- 
taining 500,000  feet,  and  it  required  the  entire  time  of  two  men  for 
a  week  to  select  the  finest  and  most  beautifully  grained.  When  planed, 
glass  or  steel  scraped,  sand  papered,  filled  and  waxed,  floors  were 
produced  which  today  after  years  of  wear,  are  practically  pictures  in 
wood. 


156  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


FORCES 
KHOWK 

UHKHOWH 


ELEMENT  ALS. 


BELLERICA 


157 


CHAPTER  V. 


BELLERICA — WHITE 


ROCK — A    YACHTSMAN'S 
ROCKS. 


SHELTER — SHORE 


NO   finer  bit  of  earth  was  ever  wave-washed   than   the   strand 
of  sand  and  cliff  that  fronts  Bellerica.     It  seems  a  fragment 
of  the  rock-ribbed  coast  of  Maine  transferred  to  Long  Island  Sound. 
There  are  Moorish  touches  in  outdoor  bedrooms,  roof  and  porch 
lines,    with    large   supporting    posts   and    overhang,    while    the   wall 
space   is  pierced  with   rounded   bays  and   large  picture  windows  in 
groups  of  twos  and  threes. 


BELLERICA. 


The  interior  is  spacious,  with  semi-Oriental  treatment  in  stair, 
grill,  balustrades,  and  alcoves.  An  over  attic  with  casement  win- 
dows hinged  at  the  bottom,  swinging  inward  and  ever  open,  cools 
a  third  floor  that  is  in  many  ways  as  pleasant  and  comfortable  as  the 
second. 

Large  trees  shade  the  porch  and  give  seclusion.  In  fact,  building 
and  planting  were  tightly  hand-clasped  here.  The  advantages  of 
immediately  beautifying  with  tree  and  shrub  are  fully  illustrated 
in  the  photographs  showing  both  crude  beginnings  and  mature  de- 
velopment. 


158  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

Two  Houses  in  One. 

A  study  of  the  floor  plan  will  show  that  Bellerica  is  really  a  bi- 
family  house,  each  having  advantages,  and  the  two  quickly  and  prac- 
tically treated  as  one  house  when  desired. 


WHITE  ROCK. 

Here  is  conventional  little  White  Rock,  a  Philadelphia  inspira- 
tion. It  may  have  been  the  white  stone  steps  in  that  placid  city  that 
suggested  this  name,  but  the  reason  for  its  building  was  the  fact  that 
I  chanced  to  see  one  day  in  crossing  Walnut  Street  the  demolition 
of  one  of  the  grand  old  houses  of  Philadelphia.  I  bought  the  interior 
trim,  including  doors  and  windows,  which  were  quaint  and  odd, 
and  had  them  shipped  to  Connecticut. 

The  roofs  of  the  lift  windows  follow  the  slope  of  the  upper 
gambrel.  The  afterthought  windows  at  the  ridge  are  convenient 
though  ugly,  as  afterthought  windows  as  well  as  other  built-in 
features  sometimes  are,  but  transformed  a  dark  garret  into  comfort- 
able servants'  quarters. 

A  big  white  quarry  ledge  on  the  shore  was  selected  as  its  site, 
cellar  blasted,  and  practically  in  three  months  this  bit  of  Quaker 
City,  as  far  as  windows,  doors  and  trim  were  concerned,  was  basking 
on  the  shores  of  the  Sound. 

A  House  Enlarged,  Yet  Not  Enlarged. 

A  very  convenient  house  was  White  Rock,  porch-pillared  and 
porte-cochered,  its  interior  more  attractive  than  its  exterior.  The  capa- 
city of  the  dining  room  was  increased  by  the  addition  of  a  bay,  an  after- 
thought relief  that  helped  amazingly,  and  the  use  of  a  round  instead 


HARBOR  VIEW  ENTRANCE  159-> 

of  a  square  table.  A  compromise  serving  pantry  was  made  from  a 
closet  with  doors  opening  into  both  dining  room  and  kitchen. 

The  front  door  had  transom  and  side  lights  of  "ye  olden  tyme," 
and  all  trim  as  stated  was  of  pronounced  Colonial  type.  A 
quaint  and  attractive  staircase,  columned  living  room,  half  a  dozen 
cosy  bedrooms,  and  a  long  room,  half  studio  and  half  bedroom,  over 
the  porte  cochere,  all  helped  to  make  up  a  sightly  and  livable 
house. 

Years  after,  like  four  others  of  my  creation,  guided  by  sturdy 
horse  and  windlass,  it  strolled  inland  to  give  place  to  a  more  pre- 
tentious dwelling,  but  the  quintette  still  exist  as  homes  in  the 
truest  sense. 


Harbor  View. 

A  couple  of  stone  entrance  posts  and  a  winding  drive  between 
trees  that  shade  a  roadway  leading  to  the  shores  of  the  Sound  reveal 
a  wonderful  panoramic  view  of  island,  sea,  and  headland  as  strikingly 
beautiful  in  its  way  as  that  which  suddenly  greets  the  beholder  as 
he  crosses  for  the  first  time  the  threshold  of  the  Catskill  House  and 
sees  at  his  feet  the  valley  of  the  Hudson,  or  emerges  from  the  darkness 
of  the  Haverstraw  tunnel  into  the  blaze  of  light  revealing  the 
startlingly  beautiful  view  of  that  same  Hudson  flowing  toward  the 
sea. 

The  development  in  lagoon  and  curving  waterways  is  akin  to- 
fair  Venice.  Indeed,  Connecticut's  "Harbor  View"  or  "Yachtsman's 
Shelter"  is  even  more  than  the  name  implies,  for  it  includes  not  only 
lagoon,  harbor,  and  Sound  views,  but  the  beautiful  woods  through 
which  the  driveway  reaches  the  shore  are  parked  and  arboretumed  with 
rare  skill.  Houses  of  stone  and  stucco,  shingle  and  brick,  on  wooded; 
crag  and  hillock,  fringe  beach  and  cliff. 


160 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


A  house  of  flesh  and  blood  is  Shore  Rocks.  It  is,  like  Pinnacle, 
representative  of  the  building  experience  of  nearly  two  score  of  years, 
and  many  of  my  air  castles  are  in  it  woven  into  reality.  To  me  it 
embodies  solid  comfort  and  completeness  of  appointment,  but  it  was 
a  far  cry  from  its  inception  to  the  pulling  of  the  latch-string. 


SHORE    ROCKS. 

Water  Lawn  Groomed  by  Nature. 

Volcanic-veined  and  lichen-rifted  rock  and  boulder,  both  under 
and  over  cliff,  stood  where  we  blasted  out  its  cellar.  It  seemed  down- 
right sacrilege  to  swing  the  axe  against  the  gnarled  and  twisted  cedar 
that  had  staunchly  breasted  the  storms  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  years 
or  to  destroy  the  moss  grown  and  beautifully  veined  ledges  with  wedge, 
drill,  and  dynamite;  but  the  choice  was  made,  and  today  my  dream  of 
years,  with  its  forty  rooms,  outlying  pergolas,  bathing  pool,  and  yacht 
pier  is  a  reality.  The  house  is  embowered  in  trees  and  every  main  room 
possesses  an  uninterrupted  outlook  across  the  Sound — a  water  lawn  of 
many  miles  groomed  by  nature,  one  of  man's  care-free  legacies,  present- 
ing an  ever  changing  kaleidoscope  of  beauty. 

Over  the  entrance  of  Shore  Rocks  is  a  chain-hung  marquise,  partly 
enclosed  with  a  glassed-in  vestibule,  that  essential  hall  draught-stopper, 
while  on  the  brick  outer  posts  are  quaint  non-rusting  metal  lamps.  The 
cement  and  red  tiled  platform  with  metal  edge  and  inset  door  mat  is 
ornamented  at  its  corners  by  lions,  the  platform  being  indented  at  the 
centre,  forming  a  base  pedestal  support  at  each  side.  Cement  joints 
between  the  tiling  are  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  width.  All  eave 
spoutheads  are  duplicates  of  Notre  Dame  gargoyles. 


161 


THE   LAST  OP   THE   THIRTY   STEPS   IN   BUILDING. 

The  outer  vestibule  door  is  metal-grilled  its  entire  length,  the 
inner  single  seven  by  nine  door  of  English  oak,  sill  of  marble,  siding 
of  cement,  ornamented  at  the  centre  with  a  classic  head,  while  at 
either  side  in  the  white  marbleized  front  are  niches  for  plants,  and 
an  oddly  wrought  iron  scraper  of  the  vintage  of  a  couple  of  centuries 
is  set  in  the  cement  platform. 

The  first  story  of  Shore  Rocks  is  ecru-face  brick,  every  fifth 
course  fastened  with  irons  to  the  heavy  wooden  studding,  giving  an 
extra  air  space  for  warmth.  It  has  a  corbeled  stepped-outward  brick 
water  table  on  cut  stone  foundation.  The  second  story  siding  is  of 
three  coat  work  in  cement,  the  last  coat  thrown  on  with  a  trowel  to 
give  an  exceptionally  rough  effect  and  disguise  the  small  surface  cracks 
which  always  appear  in  stucco.  The  middle  coat  was  put  on  over  the 
first  coat  to  cover  any  openings  through  which  moisture  might  strike 
the  galvanized  wire  lath,  an  important  point  to  remember  when 
using  this  construction.  Wire  lath  must  be  stiffened  with  iron  rods 
and  separated  from  the  wood  with  V's,  thus  furring  out  the 
outer  walls,  decreasing  liability  to  crack  as  the  wooden  sheathing 
shrinks.  This  air-space  makes  an  absolutely  dry  house,  appropriately 
called  furring,  from  the  fur  of  an  animal. 

The  basement  wall  is  of  quarried  stone;  roof  of  red  mission 
tile,  and  gables  of  chestnut  plank  set  upright,  of  equal  width,  T'd  and 
G'd  and  slightly  Vd  at  joining  with  wooden  keys  placed  a  couple  of 


162 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


__  J  . s 

FIRST  AND  SECOND  STORY  FLOOR  PLANS. 


//A7  EASTERLY  AT  WORK  WITH  A  WILL        163 


SITE    OF    SHORE    ROCKS. 


THE  NORTH  FRONT. 


164  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


SHELTERED    HARBOR. 


THE    ICE    BORDERED    COAST    LINE    ONCE    IN    A    DOZEN   YEARS. 


CHANGES 


165 


CRAG    SITE  B£K>K£'V  APTER 


WHAT  THE 

YEARS 

BROUGHT 


WHAT    THE    YEARS   BROUGHT. 


166  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


PROM  TH£  (SROUTO  UPWRRD 

FROM   SKELETON   TO    FINISHED   HOUSE. 


GROWTH 


167 


SHQRt  SOCKS  COMSTRUCT10K 


CONSTRUCTION   IN   VARIED    STAGES. 


168  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


CRAGS  on  WHOSE. 

AFTER  HOUSE 
MOVJHO  WE  BUILT 

SHORt  ROCKS 


THE    SITE    THAT   CHANGED. 


OUT  FRONT  AND  IN  FRONT 


169 


THE    EAST    FRONT. 


THE   WEST   ENTRANCE. 


170 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THE  WINDOW  SEAT  ON  THE 
STAIR- 


MIRAGE  ROOM,  SLEEPING  PORCH,   STAIR,  WINDOW  SEAT. 


BANISHING  THE  FUNNEL  STAIRWAY 


171 


SHORE    ROCKS 
Diving-  Pier 
in   a   storm. 


SHORE   ROCKS 
Diving  Pier   in 

the   grip   of 
the   Ice   King-. 


feet  apart  on  the  seams.  Woodwork  of  the  upper  portion  of  the 
house,  together  with  the  gables,  is  painted  a  bottle  green,  the  rest  of  the 
trim  being  white.  The  eight  foot  overhang  and  this  painting  treat- 
ment lower  the  house. 

A  projecting  gable  forms  the  top,  and  two  windows  the  respective 
sides,  of  a  panel  five  by  ten  feet,  in  which  is  fastened  a  copper  bas-relief 
along  graffito  lines  of  a  rescue  at  sea,  following  in  a  way  that  old 
Saxon  style  of  exterior  wall  decoration. 

Windows,  casement  and  lift,  transomed  and  leaded,  the  majority 
of  plate  glass,  number  quite  two  hundred  and  twenty-five,  and  there 
are  seventy-five  doors  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  electric  outlets. 

Deeply  embrasured  Georgian  casement  windows,  showing  the 
heavy  centre  cross,  light  the  entrance  hall,  whose  floor  is  of  quarry 
tile  while  the  vaulted  ceiling  is  braced  at  twenty-five  foot  height  by 
cambered  beams.  Walls  are  paneled  with  oak  in  squares  to  ceiling 
and  the  ceiling  is  of  dark  oak  in  Arabesque  design.  Set  high  in  the 
wall  each  side  of  the  stair  landing  gallery  are  paintings. 

Off  the  entrance  hall  are  coat  room  and  lavatory,  enlarged  and 
heightened  by  infringing  on  kitchen  and  basement,  though  not  to  the 
detriment  of  either. 

Banishing  the  Funnel  Stairway. 

In  some  ways,  the  unusual  was  attempted  in  Shore  Rocks,  as 
shown  in  the  entrance,  lower  stairway  and  second  story  corridor 


172  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THE   ENGLISH   WINDOW   IN   THE   LIBRARY   AND   WINDOW   RECESS 
SEAT    ON    THE    STAIRWAY. 


THE   EAST  SIDE   OP   LIVING   ROOM,    PORCH   ROOM  BEYOND. 


QUOIN,  BUTTRESS  AND  ARCH 


173 


X.AWD-1-OCK.E.D  MOTOR  BOAT       D&PTH  O* 


LAND  LOCKED  MOTOR  BOAT  LAGOON. 


174  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THE  UPPER  STAIR  AND  THE  R.  AND  J.  BALCONY. 

halls.  Instead  of  the  city  scheme  of  an  upright  funnel  from  front 
door  to  roof,  incidentally  causing  a  large  loss  of  heat,  the  stair- 
case from  second  to  third  story  is  at  one  side  and  behind  a  double 
arch,  allowing  of  beamed  ceiling  treatment  in  the  main  stairway  hall, 
and  giving  a  twenty-five  foot  height  in  the  clear  over  the  stairs.  One 
really  enters  the  principal  rooms  of  the  house  after  passing  through 
the  entrance  hall  under  a  broad  arch  supported  by  rabid-mouthed, 
grotesquely-molded  gargoyles,  by  a  short  flight  of  five  six  and  one- 
half  inch  riser  steps,  twenty  feet  wide,  which  lead  to  the  staircase 
hall  twenty-five  feet  square  lighted  by  leaded  casements  in  the  boudoir 
on  the  mezzanine  floor.  On  the  pedestals  flanking  these  wide  stairs 
are  grouped  masses  of  the  unkillable  Ficus  Pandurata. 

Fireplace  Opening  10'S''. 

The  hobbed  fireplace  opening  in  the  staircase  hall  is  ten  feet  eight 
inches  wide.     It  has  crane  and  trammels  and   from  its  iron  header 


WIDE  R4NGE  OF  FIRE  DOG 


175 


beam  are  suspended  three  metal  rings  used  in  "ye  olden  tyme"  to 
handle  "ye  huge  Yule  log."  The  broad  mantel  shelf  of  oak,  banded 
and  ornamented  with  wrought  iron,  projecting  two  feet  from  side  wall, 
is  eighteen  inches  through  and  eight  feet  from  the  floor,  supported 
by  caryatides,  and  the  motto  across  its  face  reads,  "Sings  the  blackened 
log  a  tune  learned  in  some  forgotten  June."  For  either  end  of  this 
mantel  shelf  we  had  planned  a  complete  set  of  ancient  armor,  but 
compromised  with  a  single  specimen  of  the  armorers'  art  guarding 
the  stairway. 


THE   PORCH  ROOM   SOUTH  AND  WEST. 
THE    EAST    VERANDA. 


Wide  Range  of  Fire  Dog. 

In  Shore  Rocks  the  field  of  the  fire  dog  is  wide,  ranging  from 
twice  the  size  of  a  Great  Dane  to  that  of  the  low  pudgy  dachshund, 
and  from  ponderous  black  iron  to  lighter  framed,  gleaming  brass  and 


176  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE   SEA. 


THE  TREE  ROOM 


177 


THAT  DIKING  *OOM  WlnDOW 


THt  STUDIO  WINDOW 

THE  TRSE.  ROOM 


WORKING  OUT  INTERIOR  DETAILS. 


178 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THE  TXKMES  C^OVJED  A  LOHG  DISTANCE. 


owt  swtrmo  PORCH  TKAT 

WIRELESS  ROOM,  CONSERVATORY,   MEZZANINE   FLOOR. 


STALKING  LION  GUARD  RAIL  179 

nickel  forged  and  molded  in  varied  forms  from  cannon  ball  crowned 
fronts  to  grotesque  midget  fire-warders. 

The  woodwork  of  all  first  story  rooms,  including  stairs  and 
wainscoting  of  both  entrance  and  upper  and  lower  staircase  halls,  is 
English  oak  and  all  have  oak  floors.  Basement  and  bedrooms  are 
floored  with  Georgia  rift  pine. 

BF  • 


THE    WIRELESS    STATION. 

THE    SHELTERED    LAGOON. 

THE   TILED  YACHT   PIER. 

Stalking  Lion  Guard  Rail. 

The  first  stair  landing  is  ten  feet  wide,  reached  by  four 
steps  of  the  same  width,  with  ten  and  one-half-irch  tread,  the 
protecting  side  rail  formed  by  a  stalking  lion  of  Caen  stone,  and  the 
main  balustrade  hand-carved,  with  deep  and  broad  top-rail.  Turning, 
the  stairs  rise  about  ten  feet  and  connect  with  a  musicians'  or  min- 
strels' balcony  fourteen  feet  wide  by  twenty  feet  long,  supported  by 


180  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


A    BAY    IN    ONE    OF    THE    MASTER'S    BED    ROOMS. 


THE    N.    W.    END    OF    DINING   ROOM,  SHOWING  BARRELED  CEILING. 


A  STUDY  IN  ROCK  FORMATION  181 

YACHT  PISK 


i*l    ™* 

I 


3PLANADE. 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

DETAILS  or  SHOKE  ROCKS 


m  TH£  SHADOW  IN  THt  SUNLIGHT  — 

IN  THE   SHADOW — IN  THE   SUNLIGHT — OF  LIFE. 


T KILOBIT E  NEWEL  CAP  183 

brackets  on  the  ends  of  which  are  carved  panther  heads.  This 
balcony  has  a  red  leather  trimmed  settle  its  entire  length,  and  over- 
looks both  entrance  and  staircase  halls. 

Window  Seat  on  the  Stair. 

Half  way  up  the  ten-foot  rise  is  an  oriel  alcove,  comfortably 
cushioned  and  projecting  into  the  library,  into  which  its  casements 
swing  high  above  the  book-cases.  Two  of  the  translucent  leaded 
windows  have  the  usual  book-mark  motif,  while  on  the  centre  window 
is  the  coat  of  arms,  mottoed,  "Seek  and  thou  shalt  find."  Both  hall 
and  library  are  improved  by  this  swinging  casement,  whether  open 
or  closed.  The  unattractive  space  under  the  stairs,  sometimes  utilized 
by  a  homely  boxed-in  closet,  is  featured  with  a  marble-rimmed  plant 
basin  filled  with  interrogation  point  fronded  ferns  and  brilliant 
foliaged  plants,  while  surmounting  the  main  newel  is  a  lion  rampant 
carved  in  oak.  The  under  side  of  the  stair  soffit  curves  to  the  floor. 

The  second  story  hall  is  thirty-three  feet  square,  including  the 
stair  well  opening,  and  is  furnished  as  a  room. 

The  third  story  stair  hall  is  lighted  and  carried  to  the  somewhat 
impressive  height  of  twenty-five  feet  by  abruptly  stopping  the  fourth 
story  floor  beams  thus  forming  an  overhanging  balcony — the  roof 
dormer  lighting  both  halls  and  stairs. 

Newel  Problem. 

Sameness  is  avoided  in  the  stairs,  whether  basement  or  top  story, 
back  or  front.  Newels  are  of  varied  form,  some  built  into  pillars 
to  ceiling  height,  with  naiad  or  faun  faced  brackets  braced  against  the 
ceiling;  others  plastered  barriers  surmounted  with  carved  brackets 
and  scrolls,  or  merged  into  railings,  with  inset  has  reliefs.  Crowning 
one  newel  is  a  crystal  ball,  another  a  statue,  and  a  third  a  flaming 
torch.  Balusters  are  placed  singly  or  in  twos  and  threes  or  sepa- 
rated by  panels. 

Trilobite  Newel  Cap. 

We  decorated  the  newel  from  second  to  third  story  with  a  bit 
of  Himalayan  rock  lathe-turned  in  globe  form,  containing  trilobites 
that  ceased  to  breathe  over, two  million  years  ago.  One  squared 
newel  post  reaching  to  ceiling  height  has  metal  half  inch  beading  at 
each  of  its  four  corner  joints,  and  gives  bracing  strength  to  an 
especially  long  trimmer. 

Living  Room. 

Either 'through  the  wide  mirrored  door  of  the  staircase  hall  or 
by  the  little  library  stair  (which  is  protected  on  the  living  room  side 
by  a  settle  instead  of  a  rail,  on  the  opposite  side  by  a  brass  standard  and 
silken  rope)  one  enters  a  living  room  thirty-five  by  forty-five  feet,  in 


184 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


itself  as  large  as  many  modest  country  houses.  It  is  a  room  of  arches, 
columns  and  mirrors.  Six  pairs  of  French  casements  open  to  a  com- 
pletely furnished  porch  room  overlooking  the  water,  counteracting  in 
a  measure  the  lonesome  grandeur  and  monotony  of  an  exceptionally 
large  room.  The  entire  east,  north  and  south  sides  are  doored  and 
windowed  in  glass  in  winter,  and  its  thirteen  foot  ceiling  is  cemented 
on  galvanized  wire  lath,  crossed  by  ebonized  beams. 


THE   MOTOR  BOAT   CAVE. 
WEST   END   OP   PIER. 


Two  corners  of  the  large  living  room  have  groined  ceilings, 
while  the  remainder  of  the  room  is  straight  beamed.  Fluted  columns, 
and  pilasters,  double,  single,  and  Ionic  capped  are  freely  used. 


FLYING  ARCHES 

THE  MARQUISE- 


185 


f  OAK  THAT  SPANKED    Si  CKHTURJtS 


***• 

BEACH  AND  ROCK. 


THE  HALF  BURIED  LEVIATHAN. 


186 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


CARVED   BY   THE   ELEMENTS. 


THE  SEGMENTED  CEILING 


187 


THE    BREAKFAST    ALCOVE    WITH    PICTURE    WINDOW 
THE    BIG   BAY    IN    DINING    ROOM. 


m 


THE  HALL  FIREPLACE,  A  FIRE  OPENING  OF  TEN  FEET  EIGHT  INCHES. 


188  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


ENTRANCE  TO  YACHT  PIER  FROM  VERANDA. 


A  BIT  OF  THE  MAINE  COAST  WITHIN  AN  HOUR  OF  NEW  YORK. 


HERALDRY  189 

Dining  Room. 

Through  sliding  doors  whose  pockets  are  evenly  ceiled  to  guide 
the  door  and  as  protection  from  dust  and  draught  and  whose 
upper  halves  are  leaded  glass  to  avoid  the  barn  like  appearance  given 
by  a  solid  sliding  door,  one  enters  the  barreled,  arched  ceilinged  dining 
room.  This  is  partly  Grecian,  with  walls  and  ceilings  paneled  in 
marbleized  cement.  The  floor  is  of  quaint  eight  inch  wide  thor- 
oughly kiln  dried  oak  planks,  riveted  every  four  feet  with  black 
inset  wooden  keys.  The  sliding  door  to  butler's  pantry,  made  to 
close  tightly  yet  move  easily,  controlled  by  foot  pressure,  is  not  in 
direct  line  with  the  kitchen  door. 

A  semi-polygon  bay  on  the  Sound  side  is  formed  of  plate  glass 
picture  windows  and  used  as  a  breakfast  alcove  while  the  bay 
eighteen  feet  wide  on  the  north  fitted  with  seven  deeply  embrasured, 
transomed  Elizabethan  grouped  windows — a  flagrant  lapse  from  a 
strictly  Greek  room — is  cool  and  inviting  on  the  hottest  day  and 
on  the  coldest  a  tropical  temperature  is  assured  by  the  combination 
of  an  efficient  heating  plant  and  double  windows. 

Barreled  Ceiling. 

The  half  moons  formed  by  the  barreled  or  segmented  ceiling  at 
each  end  of  this  room  are  decorated,  one  with  viking  craft  manned 
by  fierce  and  stalwart  Norsemen  on  battle  bent,  the  other  with  the 
historic  Mayflower  on  its  errand  of  peace  and  good  will.  The  door 
of  the  electrically  lighted  cabinet  for  the  display  of  cut  glass  balances 
the  butler's  pantry  door. 

Living  and  dining  rooms  can  be  thrown  into  one,  giving  an 
area  of  twenty-five  hundred  square  feet,  or,  if  desired,  all  of  the 
gala  rooms  can  be  made  to  form  one  large  room,  aggregating  over 
six  thousand  square  feet. 

Library. 

On  the  level  with  the  entrance  hall  are  library  and  con- 
servatory, also  finished  in  oak  and  connected  by  a  short  flight  of 
stairs  with  the  living  room.  This  arrangement  gives  the  library 
a  height  of  sixteen  feet,  and  ample  overhead  space  for  the  appropriate 
use  of  large  cambered  ceiling  beams. 

Under  the  windows,  planted  against  a  panel  is  a  wall  fountain 
of  Caen  stone  and  a  corresponding  panel  on  the  exterior  of  the  house 
is  decorated  with  a  bronze  bas-relief.  The  arch  under  the  stairs  and 
beneath  the  platform  has  a  uniform  spring  across  the  entire  space. 
Below  it  is  an  ingle-seat. 

Heraldry. 

An  .heraldic  design  is  molded  in  the  hood  of  the  Caen  stone 
cement  mantel  which  rises,  in  the  form  of  a  wide  shaft,  slightlv 
tapering,  to  the  extreme  height  of  the  room  and  has  rounded  instead 


190  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


LIBRARY    AND    CONSERVATORY. 


THE    \VIDE    STAIRWAY. 


THE  BOATING  LAYOUT 


191 


BELVEDERE,    SERVICE    GATE,    FOUNTAIN. 


192  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


UDCit  LMHDINC.  STEPS  AT  LOW  TIDS 


VIEW    FROM    THE    GAZEBO. 


A  BALANCED  WORLD  193 

of  squared  edges.  The  lofty,  clear  glass,  English  leaded  windows  on 
the  west  about  fourteen  feet  high  have  centred  in  their  upper  panes 
a  color  design.  At  this  end  of  the  room  a  quaint  little  stair  leads 
to  a  mezzanine  floor  fitted  up  as  a  reading  or  writing  den.  When 
the  stair  casement  bay  window  on  the  north  above  the  bookcases  is 
swung  open,  one  views  the  conservatory,  which  forms  a  portion  of 
the  south  side  of  the  library,  and  from  the  library  the  second  story 
beamed  corridors.  With  casements  closed  and  drawn  draperies  over 
the  stained  leaded  glass,  each  room  is  completely  separated,  but  when 
open  extended  vistas  are  disclosed. 

Electric  Fountain. 

A  fountained  conservatory  leading  from  the  library  is  roofed 
on  the  south  with  wood  instead  of  glass,  to  avoid  damage,  prevent 
glare  on  second  story  windows,  and  give  a  cooler  room.  All  upper 
lights  of  the  nine  windows  that  front  the  south  are  leaded,  and  orna- 
mented with  delicate  tracery.  A  low  glass-roofed  greenhouse  is  an 
essential  feeder  if  one  wishes  profuse  bloom  in  a  wooden  roofed 
conservatory. 

The  white  tile  floor,  thoroughly  drained,  is  a  restful  contrast 
with  the  green  of  the  plants.  In  the  centre  is  an  electric  fountain, 
and  on  each  side  of  the  entrance  are  heavy  Ionic-capped  columns, 
while  the  side  wall  of  the  library  the  entire  width  of  the  room  above 
the  conservatory  arch  is  of  leaded  glass,  the  design  a  sylvan  forest 
scene,  the  inward  view,  birds,  flowers  and  fronds,  stirred  by  the 
splashing,  electrically  illuminated  fountain;  the  outward  Long  Island 
Sound. 

A  Balanced  World. 

In  a  corner  of  the  conservatory  was  an  aquatic  wardian  case 
consisting  of  a  glass  jar  covered  with  a  pane  of  glass  and  fairly  air- 
tight, its  contents  water,  algae  from  the  brookside,  and  minute  animal 
life.  In  this  ad  infinitum  world  were  carried  on  year  after  year 
the  processes  of  being.  In  a  sense  the  same  water,  the  same  plant, 
the  same  insect,  life  and  death  and  life  again,  an  everlasting  world 
within  a  world. 

Kitchen. 

On  the  main  floor  is  the  kitchen,  with  floor  and  side  walls  white 
tiled.  A  separate  galley,  in  which  the  glass-hooded  range  fitted  with 
electric  chimney  fan,  makes  the  main  kitchen  comfortable  even  in 
the  hottest  weather. 

Windows  overlooking  the  front  door  are  set  overhead  close 
to  ceiling  and  with  the  addition  of  a  skylight  give  pure  air  and  a 
cooler  kitchen. 


194 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


Ample  pantries,  refrigerator  room  and  servants'  porch,  complete 
the  first  floor,  while  below  stairs  are  boiler  and  storage  rooms,  salt 
and  fresh  water  baths,  with  showers  and  boat  racks. 


ONE    OF    THE     THREE  SCREENED    SLEEPING    PORCHES. 
CLOTHES    CHUTE    CLOSET    AND    LAUNDRY    TUBS. 

Six  Tubs  Centre  the  Laundry. 

The  laundry  in  the  above-ground  basement  has  six  tubs  in  the 
centre  of  the  room  placed  back  to  back.  When  covered  they  form 
a  large  table  and  aid  in  transforming  the  laundry  into  an  additional 
sitting  room  for  the  maids.  The  stairway  is  grilled  and  between  two 
columns  joined  by  a  grill  one  enters  the  servants'  dining  hall,  in  a 
corner  of  which  are  dish  closets  and  porcelain  pantry  sink.  A 
balanced  lift  connected  with  the  kitchen  prevents  dish  breaking. 
Hardwood  floors  furred  for  air  space  are  laid  over  the  tar  coated 
cement,  and  windows  extend  from  floor  to  ceiling.  Rooms  decorated 


A  SHADP:D  BREEZE  POINT 


195 


ALL  ABOARD  ••••••• 

GEORGIAN    WINDOW    AND    GAZEBO. 


196  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

THt  UfflD  LOCKED  HAKBOR        EATOH'S  HECK. 


$       HiIMp»wMfr 

a 

B 

t 
A 

*i 

'RACIAL  nivisrorts 


A  FORBEAR. 


THE  FERN  CORNER 


197 


THE    STAIRCASE    HALL. 

and  calcimined  in  suitable  colors,  and  woodwork  white  enameled, 
give  a  homelike  look  and  eliminate  all  suggestion  of  a  basement. 
Walls  and  floors  separating  the  servants'  quarters  from  the  main 
house  are  thoroughly  deadened. 

Outside  doors  are  four  feet  wide  with  upper  panels  glazed. 

Bedrooms. 

Bedrooms  number  twenty,  several  en  suite,  each  with  its  own 
bath  or  bath  closet,  and  two  with  salt  water  connection.  There  are 
three  sleeping  porches  of  generous  size,  and  adjoining  them  cosy 
windowed  and  heated  dressing  rooms. 

An  overhanging  stair  balcony  and  a  studio  finished  and  beamed 
to  the  ridge  with  a  window  filling  the  entire  north  side  are  additional 
features.  Some  bedrooms  have  curved  top  bed  alcoves  from  whose 
brass  rods  are  suspended  draperies,  and  jewel  safes  are  inset  in  walls. 
There  are  burglar-proof  vaults  concealed  in  chimney  arch  in  the 


198  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


CONSERVATORY     AND     PORCH     ROOM. 


THE    BATHING   BEACH. 


CHILDREN'S  SWIMMING  POOL 


199 


basement,  fire  protected  by  air  spaces,  the  new  close-jointed  sliding 
door  for  closets  and  narrow  spaces;  secret  panel  doors  in  dressers  and 
lockers;  a  roof  lookout  back  of  the  chimney  and  an  aluminum  clothes 
chute  to  laundry. 

Every  house  should  have  a  readily  reached  and  railed-in  lookout 
platform.  Aside  from  the  uplift  view,  it  is  far  easier  to  inspect  and 
repair  roof,  chimney,  gutters,  and  flashings. 

The  tub  in  the  bathroom  over  the  east  hall  closet  is  inset  eighteen 
inches  in  the  floor,  protected  with  side  railing,  somewhat  as  in  a 
Pompeiian  bath,  and  several  tubs  are  made  stationary  against  the  side 
walls — less  tiling,  less  dust,  more  sanitary,  yet  more  difficult  to  repair 
a  clogged  or  split  trap  or  pipe,  and  greater  disturbance  of  tiling. 

Several  bedrooms,  billiard  room  and  den  are  on  the  third  floor. 


TWO    VIEWS    OP    HARBOR    FRONT. 


200 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


The  Telescopic  House. 

Shore  Rocks  is  so  planned  and  built  that  certain  floors,  stair- 
ways and  rooms  can  be  cut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  house,  the 
plumbing  reduced  by  a  series  of  shut-offs  to  that  required  for  an 
ordinary  ten-room  house,  three-fourths  of  the  big  heating  plant 


ENTRANCE    HALL. 
MUSICIANS    BALCONY. 

easily  disconnected,  and  the  occupants  thus  made  practically  inde- 
pendent of  servants  by  reducing  a  working  force  of  a  dozen  or  more 
to  two  or  three  .  All  upright  heating  pipes  placed  to  be  easily  reached 
are  concealed  within  closets  or  columns. 

Swimming  Pool. 

Grounds  are  laid  out  with  pergola,  Italian  gardens,  and  swim- 
ming  pool,    depth    of    water    in   which    is    controlled    by    a    water- 


A  CONNECTICUT  CAPRI 


20  r 


WHEN  MAN  WAS  YOUNG. 


202  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

VIEW  OF  THE-  OFFING 


THE  SINGLE  DOOR  203 

to    the    open    Sound.      Electric    lights    edge    the    rim    erf   *this 
pool,  dispelling    "eerie    creeps"    that    sometimes    overtake    even  the 


THE    SINGLE    DOOR. 
ENTRANCE    AND    STAIR    HALLS. 

seasoned  water  dog  who  dips  at  midnight,  while  on  barrier  wall, 
esplanade  and  parapet  are  large  terra  cotta  vases  or  statues  in  red, 
gray,  and  verde-antique. 

There  are  deep-water  landing  pier,  cement  fireproof  garage 
with  suitable  pit,  and  under  the  veranda  bowling  alley,  workshop 
and  bathing  houses  with  hot  and  cold  showers.  In  fact  many  of  the 
features  that  make  Pinnacle  the  house  ideal  one  will  find  also  in 
Shore  Rocks. 

A  pergolad  gazebo  is  built  on  seamed,  rugged,  sea-weed-clad 
rocks,  a  peculiar  ledge  formation  fronting  this  portion  of  the  Sound 
and  of  keen  interest  to  the  geologist.  The  stone  rampart  rail  centred 


204 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


with  plants  its  entire  length,  edges  the  water  with  a  green  wall  of 
salt-defying  cedars.  Under  the  gazebo,  which  is  built  on  heavy  stone 
arches,  is  a  grotto.  Sea  grasses  grow  in  stone  crevices  near  the 
splashing  waves,  and  hammocks  swung  in  the  shadow  of  post  and 
arch  mean  luxurious  comfort  even  on  the  warmest  day. 


THE    MOTOR    BOAT    CAVE. 
CHILDREN'S   SWIMMING    POOL. 

Peering  from  a  cave-like  fissure  in  the  rock  of  the  grotto  is  a  metal 
dragon  that  in  a  storm  spouts  white  flecked  foam  with  a  roar  above 
that  of  the  pounding  waves — a  bit  of  realism  that  often  pleases 
grown-ups  as  well  as  children. 

Salt  air  and  occasional  salt  mist  spitefully  but  fruitlessly  assail 
the  poplars,  Japanese  privets,  beach  plums,  the  Euonymous,  sea  buck- 
thorns, tamarisks  and  Rosa  rugosas  that  among  other  plants  adapted 
for  use  at  the  seashore  fringe  the  rocky  water  front. 


SALT  DEFYING  PLANTS 


205 


Stone  buttresses  of  pronounced  entasis  and  flying  arches  that 
support  the  gazebo  are  buffeted  by  pounding  waves  and  even  the  top 
of  the  pergola  at  times  is  bathed  with  flying  spume.  At  night  electric 
lights  illumine  grotto,  pergola,  belvedere,  swimming  pool,  yacht  pier, 


THE    SERVICE    GATEWAY,    OUTWARD. 
ENTRANCE    TO   HARBOR. 

gardens  overhanging  the  sea,  and  the  boat  storage  room.  Indeed, 
electricity  has  been  harnessed  to  the  limit  of  its  present  tether  in 
Shore  Rocks,  installations  including  vacuum  cleaning  plant,  range, 
laundry  equipment,  elevator,  and  telephones  in  each  main  room. 

Yacht  Pier. 

The  yacht  pier  is  reached  from  the  veranda  by  cement  steps,  pro- 
tected by  stone  balustrade  to  red  quarry-tiled  landings.  Stone  posts 
are  capped  with  plant  receptacles. 


206  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

THE  EVER  tHAMGTNG  VIATKR  JBOMl  "»VIEVf 

'   •     •     f_^KK| 

*£ 


A    GEOLOGIST'S    PARADISE. 


FROM  BOAT  TO  VERANDA 


207 


The  Motor  Boat  Lagoon. 

Lower  down  is  the  big  stone  pier,  also  quarry  tiled,  its 
centre  excavated  for  a  land-locked  lagoon  about  20  x  30  feet 
where  a  motor  boat  can  berth  in  absolute  safety.  The  pier  is  equipped 
with  boat  davits,  diving  plank,  floating  platform  reached  by  steps, 


A    LOUNGING    CORNER    ON    YACHT    PIER. 
BELVEDERE   AND   SWIMMING   POOL. 

and  heavy  galvanized  iron  rings  for  fastening  boats.  A  brass 
railed  platform  and  adjustable  yacht  steps  hang  from  the  wall  of  the 
lagoon.  One  end  of  the  pier  is  covered  with  an  awning  on  galvanized 
iron  frame  and  single  tiled  steps  are  placed  at  regular  intervals  among 
the  rough  rocks  that  edge  the  Sound,  that  safety  may  not  be  sacrificed 
to  the  picturesque.  An  iron  roller  inset  in  the  edge  of  the  pier 
readily  handles  small  boats  without  injury.  At  one  end  of  the  beach 
is  rigged  a  convenient  set  of  ways,  with  block  and  tackle  fastened  in 
the  rocks,  so  that  a  motor  boat  or  even  a  large  yacht  can  be  warped- 
out. 


.208  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

Our  flag  pole  does  double  duty,  as  on  it  is  rigged  a  wireless, 
catching  messages  from  Eastport,  Maine,  to  the  Florida  Keys, 
and  for  a  thousand  miles  out  at  sea,  from  dreadnought  and  liner  as 
they  fly  past,  or  the  code  language  of  a  manoeuvering  army. 

The  dock  is  partially  enclosed  with  a  woven,  galvanized  wire 
guard  with  brass  top  rail  and  broad  stone  ledge  steps  are  built  against 
its  sides,  enabling  one  to  bathe  or  land  from  boats  at  all  tide  levels.* 

In  the  grounds  is  an  interesting  example  of  tree  growth.  Bor- 
dering the  Sound  are  two  trees,  one  a  hoary-headed  oak  of  two  and 
a  half  centuries,  and  less  than  a  stone's  throw  from  it  a  Wier's  cut 
leaf  maple  that  I  shouldered  and  planted  as  easily  as  I  would  a  bean 
pole  exactly  seventeen  years  ago.  The  trunk  of  the  maple  is  now 
three-quarters  the  diameter  of  the  sturdy  oak,  and  in  height  closely 
crowds  its  aged  neighbor. 

Centreing  the  belvedere  is  a  sun  dial  of  the  type  that  marked 
the  hours  for  Pliny  in  that  wonder  garden.  It  is  fitted  with  time 
equation  and  bears  the  motto,  "It  is  always  morning  somewhere  in 
the  world,"  the  antithesis  of  the  less  helpful  and  more  lugubrious 
saying,  "We  are  all  traveling  toward  sunset." 

*The  absence  of  all  sewage  in  the  clear  water  surrounding  Shore   Rocks  made  our 

special  and  essential  August  battle  against  the  teredo  and  xylotrya  strenuous.      Kyanizing  the 

wood  did  not  rout  the  mollusk,  his  diet  being  minute  organisms  and  plants  that  float  through 

•  the  doorway  of  his  shell-lined  house-tomb.     Copper  paint  and  big  headed  rusty  nails  saved 

,  boats,  ways,  and  spiles  from  the  inroads  of  these  destructive  rats  of  the  water. 


UNSHADOWED  OUTLINES 


209 


TWO    SEASONS 


210 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


•• 


PimiACLE- 
THE-  HOU5E 
IDEAL 


THB 

KJTRATtCE  HAU, 

AMD 

STAIR  CASE. 

HAl/t 


PINNACLE  THE  HOUSE  IDEAL. 


PINNACLE 


211 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PINNACLE,  THE  HOUSE  IDEAL,  YET  THOROUGHLY  PRACTICAL 

HOME. 


PINNACLE. 

THE  building  of  Pinnacle  was  the  realization  of  a  desire  to  put 
under  one  roof  the  experiences  of  a  lifetime  in  experimental 
building,  therefore  I  say  that  for  twenty-five  years  I  had  been 
building  Pinnacle  before  the  time  was  ripe,  and  that  June  morning 
dawned  when  I  staked  out  the  house,  and,  emulating  the  railroad 
builder,  "turned  over  the  first  clod  of  earth." 

While  its  cost  carried  well  over  $100,000  it  contained  some 
features  that  could  easily  be  introduced  into  a  $2.500  bungalow. 

Let  us  trace  backward  its  how  and  why.  Location  was  of  first 
importance.  Should  it  be  by  the  edge  of  some  inland  lake,  gemmed 
'mid  rock-ribbed  mountains ;  on  one  of  the  Thousand  Islands  stem- 
ming the  current  of  a  mighty  river,  or  near  the  sand  and  rock-bound 
shores  of  Long  Island  Sound,  the  centre  of  Eastern  yachting;  close 
to  the  roaring  breakers,  or  in  cloud-land,  on  some  barren,  ozone- 
bathed  mountain  peak,  near  the  snow  line ;  to  the  depths  of  the 
health-giving  North  woods;  in  the  swim  or  away  from  it?  But  the 
snow  line  did  not  jibe  with  rose  gardens,  and  the  restless  sea  seemed 
ever  to  impart  its  restlessness  to  nerve  and  muscle.  Then  came  the 
idea  of  using  the  old  Dillaway  place  in  the  Berkshires,  consisting  of 
two  hundred  acres  of  woodland,  meadow,  and  grassy  hill  top,  and  a 


212  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

charming  demesne  it  proved,  the  long  driveway  flanked  with  a 
veritable  floral  calendar  wherein  for  eight  months  of  the  year  and 
every  day  of  the  eight  months  new  blossoms  opened  to  the  sunlight, 
and  during  the  remaining  months  the  rare  coloring  of  red-stemmed 
dogwoods  and  steel  blue  spruces  brightened  a  drear  landscape.  Near 
by  stood  tall  Irish  junipers,  like  sentinels  among  their  fellows,  inter- 
spersed with  vari-colored,  gracefully  feathered  Retinosperas,  and 
Biotas  in  silver,  gold,  and  green.  In  the  centre  of  our  largest  field, 
in  size,  as  a  plainsman  would  put  it,  "three  whoops,  a  halloa,  and  a 
holler,"  was  left  intact,  picturesquely  outlined  against  the  sky  line 
a  ghostly  dead  tree — resting  place  for  the  bourgeois  chicken  hawk  or 
imperial  eagle  who,  unhampered  by  adjacent  towers  of  green,  scans 
with  keen  eye  the  horizon  both  for  enemies  and  prey. 

As  nature  had  placed  forest,  hill,  and  dale,  silver-threaded  river, 
babbling  brook  and  limpid  pool  exactly  right  to  meet  our  require- 
ments, location  was  simpler  than  construction.  Eschewing  clay  soil, 
the  very  worst  for  a  building  site,  we  pre-emptied  the  best,  a  dry, 
porous  gravel  edging  a  seamless,  free-from-moisture  granite  ledge.* 
How  to  Face  the  House. 

The  sun  was  invited  where  it  would  be  most  welcome.  The 
rising  sun  at  times  met  us  at  breakfast,  scorching  beams  of  July  and 
August  shot  by  our  dining  table,  as  this  room  faced  southeast,  but 
the  living  room,  large  enough  to  dodge  heat  rays  or  bask  in  their 
health-giving  glow  as  temperature  dictated,  faced  the  sunny  south 
and  breezy  west.  The  library  on  the  north  welcomed  with  blazing 
log,  easy  chair,  and  book,  while  the  kitchen,  as  it  faced  north  and 
east,  could  not  saturate  the  house  with  odors  that  the  west  wind 
seems  to  joy  in  scattering.  Due  west  rooms  we  found  need  special 
ventilation,  as  they  broil  to  their  farthest  recesses  with  the  heat  of 
the  low  western  sun,  while  in  a  southern  exposure  the  King  of  Day 
is  high  in  the  heavens. 
Architecture. 

Before  location  came  the  vital  question  of  architecture.  Should 
it  be  Byzantine,  Moorish,  Gothic,  French  or  Italian  Renaissance, 
Elizabethan  or  Jacobean,  a  house  outlined  with  Palladian  formality 
without  and  probably  inconvenient  within,  or  the  construction  repre- 
sented by  that  talismanic  word  of  the  Nineteenth  and  Twentieth 
Centuries — Colonial.  The  latter,  with  its  high  pillars,  square  rooms, 
and  glaring  "don't  touch  me"  white  enamel  finish,  to  us  lacked  the 
homelike  feeling  that  all  crave,  but  its  impressive  columned  and  archi- 
traved  exterior  made  it  a  near  second  in  the  final  decision,  as  a  pil- 
lared Colonial  front  is  always  a  favorite.  We  could  not  copy  com- 
pletely the  English  country  house,  with  its  smajl  diamond  windows 
and  lack  of  veranda  and  porch  room,  unsuited  to  our  climate,  but  a 

*The  redemption  of  any  soil,  including  clay,  as  a  building  site  is  possible  by  thor- 
ough drainage  and  the  correct  use  of  stone,  cement,  oil  and  tar. 


A  BONE-DRY  HOUSE  213 

coherent  expression  of  the  best,  combining  as  far  as  feasible  the 
intrinsic  worth  of  all,  brought  us  into  that  somewhat  complex  realm, 
the  New  American. 

In  considering  the  mooted  question  as  to  which  is  more  desirable, 
exterior  or  interior  beauty,  the  argument  that  thousands  see  the  out- 
side to  one  who  enters  a  house  counted  as  nothing  in  our  decision  to 
make  an  ideal  interior,  even  at  the  sacrifice  of  exterior  features. 
A  Bone-Dry  House. 

Corrugated  hollow  brick  tile  above  the  stone  basement,  covered 
with  a  rough  coat  of  cement,  was  decided  upon,  but — and  the  but 
is  a  big  one — the  vitally  important  work  of  water-proofing  by  tarring 
the  hollow  brick  tile  on  the  back,  and  furring  for  a  two  inch  air  space 
aided  greatly  in  making  Pinnacle  a  bone-dry-house.  Gables  were 
paneled  with  chestnut  timber,  realistically  chipped  by  the  broad  axe, 
avoiding  the  regularity  of  the  scalloped  pie-crust  imitation.  Though 
rough  cement  holds  more  moisture,  it  conceals  the  inevitable  minia- 
ture cracks,  and  with  suitable  air  spaces  all  side  walls  were  damp- 
proof.  It  is  the  builder's  duty  to  combat  ground  air  to  the  finish. 
Any  substance  charged  with  from  thirty  to  fifty  per  cent,  of  fumes, 
depending  on  soil  conditions,  detrimental  to  man's  well  being  is 
worthy  his  keenest  steel.* 

Pinnacle  was  fireproof  as  far  as  I-beam,  hollow  brick,  glazed 
and  unglazed  terra  cotta,  tile,  cement,  wire,  copper,  glass,  wire  glass, 
and  fireproof  paint  could  make  it. 

Exterior  requirements  called  for  embellishments  of  a  tourelle 
on  corbeled  base,  minaret,  campanile,  and  dormers  in  a  major  key, 
and  to  harmonize  its  varied  outline  demanded  ample  space  and  a  com- 
manding site. 

We  followed  the  rule  that  a  house  should  rise  naturally  from 
ledge  or  greensward.  Paths  and  roads,  of  which  there  were  but  few, 
simply  touched  it  at  salient  points,  curving  at  easy  gradient  toward 
gate,  garage,  and  garden.  Foiled  thus  'gainst  nature's  restful  colors, 
more  harmony  was  gained  than  by  a  network  of  blue  graveled  roads 
or  dingy  black  asphalt  close  to  house  line,  save  in  the  necessary  car- 
riage sweep.  In  fact,  those  not  hourly  thoroughfares  were  founda- 
tioned  by  closely  cropped  turf,  sloping  away  from  which  were  banks 
of  bloom  and  foliage,  but  from  these  were  barred  swift  moving  or 
lumbering  vehicles,  whether  powered  by  horse  or  gasoline. 
The  Builder's  Truck  Horse,  Cement. 

Cement,  though  it  shows  marks  of  the  beast  in  lime  efflorescence 
and  dampness,  makes  a  fine  truck  horse,  and  we  used  it  profusely 
in  archway  and  buttress,  outside  steps  and  veranda  rail,  swimming 
pool,  curbing,  retaining  walls  and  in  walks,  cellar  and  laundry  floors, 

;::The  moccasin  shod  or  unshod  Indian  drew  electricity  through  the  soil  as  the  tree  drags  it 
forth  by  the  rays  of  the  sun,  doubtless  to  his  well  being,  but  modern  dwellings  and  modern 
living  demand  drier  conditions.  Statisticians  claim  that  common  sense  hygiene  would  banish 
forty-five  per  cent  of  our  present  ills. 


214  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

side  walls,  back  halls  and  servants'  quarters — anywhere  and  every- 
where that  rough  usage  could  mar,  as  well  as  in  curves  and  molded 
ornaments,  buttresses  hollowed  for  plant  receptacles,  cement  window- 
sill  boxes,  steps,  seats  and  columns.  Cement  flooring  was  especially 
treated  to  prevent  crumbling  under  friction,  as  a  common  cement 
floor  is  never  clean.  Under  conditions  where  wood  covered  cement 
or  brick  there  was  ventilation. 

Marble  dust  cement  was  used,  efflorescent  stains  if  present  were 
removed  with  a  one-tenth  solution  of  muriatic  acid.  Capillary 
attraction  fought  with  anti-damp,  thick,  pasty,  water-proof  paint, 
made  our  walls  practically  moisture-proof,  as  even  the  foundation 
stones  were  separately  coated  on  sides  and  back  with  tar  and 
wooden  pegged  between  the  joints  for  air  spaced  plastering.  In  all 
cement  flooring  was  used  a  core  of  galvanized  1-2  inch  wire  mesh. 
Corners  of  the  brick  bay  of  the  conservatory  were  of  sheep-nose 
molded  brick,  avoiding  the  usual  dirt  collecting  angle  formed  in  a 
bay.  The  water  table,  of  ogee  bricks  based  with  cut  stone,  threw 
water  well  away  from  foundations. 

Outbuildings  not  roofed  with  fireproof  tile  or  asbestos  and 
cement  manufactured  shingles  were  covered  with  red  cedar  shingles, 
which  often  outwear  white,  the  latter  splitting  more  easily  and  causing 
many  an  exasperating  leak. 

No  shingles  over  six  inches  wide  were  used ;  they  were  split  that 
width  when  necessary,  and  laid  with  four  and  one-half  instead  of 
the  usual  five  and  one-half  inch  weatherage.  Pantiles  roofed  some 
of  the  more  important  buildings. 

Valleys  were  flashed  with  copper  to  a  width  of  eighteen  inches, 
and  a  wide  open  valley  left  to  delay  as  long  as  might  be  the  inevitable 
rotting  of  shingles  through  moisture,  always  a  formidable  enemy. 

Construction  was  closely  watched,  with  an  eye  to  circumventing 
the  fire  fiend,  and  the  carpenter  who  led  stringers  and  rammed  slid- 
ing doors  into  or  against  the  chimney,  as  well  as  the  plumber  or 
plasterer  who  left  fires  unguarded,  or  used  defective  salamanders, 
received  his  Saturday  night  pay  in  a  blue  envelope. 

The  Window  Problem. 

Our  aim  was  to  combine  comfort,  convenience  and  luxury.  One 
often  enters  an  imposing  dwelling  with  eager  enthusiasm  for  a  pro- 
spective architectural  feast,  but  leaves  with  a  keen  sense  of  dis- 
appointment because  of  a  window  set  too  high  or  a  staircase  that  had 
to  be  searched  for  and  when  found  was  dark  and  narrow,  bringing 
up  in  a  windowless  hall.  A  generous  forecourt,  esplanade  and  belve- 
dere once  decided  upon,  attention  was  turned  to  the  windows. 
It  took  time  to  settle  whether  they  should  be  big  and  staring  or  unob- 
trusive and  picturesque,  to  decide  upon  the  merits  of  glaring  plate 
glass  over  against  the  time  honored  leaded  oriel  pane.  Outlook 
sometimes  tires  of  manorial  diamond  panes,  as  does  the  housemaid 


THE  WINDOW  PROBLEM  215 

who  cleans  them.  We  finally  compromised  on  plate  glass  where 
there  was  an  extensive  view,  in  several  cases  fitted  with  a  swinging 
shutter  of  colored  or  clear  leaded  glass  in  simple  design,  serving  to 
soften  both  light  and  outline,  and  answering  the  purpose  of  a  double 
window  in  winter. 

Large  paned  windows  tend  to  decrease  and  small  to  increase 
the  apparent  size  of  a  house  both  within  and  without  and  certainly 
detract  greatly  from  the  pleasing  inlook  of  any  dwelling,  still, 
picture  windows  here  and  there  always  give  good  value  for  their 
framing  cost,  whether  in  view  of  glorious  mountain  range,  white 
crested  waves  dashing  'gainst  rock-ribbed  coast,  or  in  more  peaceful 
contrast  a  pastoral  scene  or  a  towering,  swaying  forest.  In  sombre 
rooms  some  windows  stretched  nearly  to  ceiling  height,  where  there 
is  more  light  to  the  square  foot,  though  this  treatment  seemed  to 
lower  the  rooms ;  several  had  smooth  edged  plate  glass  wind  shields 
about  twenty-four  inches  high  which  could  be  easily  lifted,  as  they 
slide  upward  in  grooves,  in  others  a  framed  sheet  of  glass  set  on  the 
sill  swung  inward  from  the  top,  and  gave  still  greater  ventilation. 

The  House  That  Pays  No  Tax. 

Monsieur  Mansard  is  said  to  have  circumvented  that  senseless 
window  tax  of  France  which  placed  a  premium  on  dark  houses  by 
adapting,  not  inventing,  the  windowed  roof  that  bears  his  name, 
thus  helping  to  supplant  imitation  painted  doors  and  windows  which 
economy  sometimes  led  the  builder  to  intersperse  with  the  real,  cater- 
ing to  that  monstrous  law  which  enforced  payment  for  air  and  sun- 
light. Our  building  laws  tend  in  the  opposite  direction,  while  it  is 
said  Buenos  Aires,  that  ideal  city  of  ideal  houses,  goes  us  one  better, 
as  he  who  builds  the  most  artistic  house  pays  no  tax.  In  some  coun- 
tries it  is  said  a  new  house  supplanting  an  old  is  untaxed. 

"Woodman,  spare  that  tree,"  however  pathetically  rendered, 
never  held  back  the  axe  when  the  alternative  was  shade  instead  of 
health-giving  sunlight.  Inset  in  a  few  windows  were  restful  leaded 
lights — in  one  a  fishing  craft,  in  another  a  coat  of  arms,  and  book- 
marks in  the  library.  One  glance  through  a  half  open  casement 
thus  decorated  inclines  to  optimism.  Windows  with  large  panes  were 
exteriorly  draped  with  climbing  vines.*  Height  was  another  ques- 
tion. The  majority  were  so  placed  as  to  afford  an  unobstructed 
view  when  seated,  while  in  the  kitchen  they  were  set  high  to  avoid 
overlooking  the  front  door  approach,  additional  light  being  obtained 
through  a  skylight.  Both  gave  rare  ventilation.  No  casements 
were  used  on  the  first  floor,  sash-hung  windows  giving  greater  secur- 
ity, less  draught,  and  being  more  easily  screened,  but  when  used  we 
hung  them  to  open  outward,  rabbeting  thoroughly,  and  hanging  from 
the  top  those  more  likely  to  be  left  open  to  prevent  their  being  whisked 

;:iWe  once  realistically  gilt  framed  and  wire  hung  a  picture  window  that  shamed  the 
artists'  most  strenuous  endeavors. 


216  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

across  the  lawn  in  case  of  a  wind  storm.  All  casement  windows  were 
fitted  with  the  necessary  convex  screens  which,  however,  more  readily 
rust  and  decay. 

Windows  were  chain-hung  on  brass  pulleys  to  avoid  snapping, 
stretching,  or  slipping  of  cords.  They  were  fitted  with  automatic  attach- 
ment holding  them  at  any  height,  and  with  non-rattling  fix- 
tures, metal  weather  strips,  and  automatic  fastenings.  In  some  low 
studded  rooms  box  windows  slid  upward  into  the  partition,  allowing 
broad  view  panes.  Parting  strips  with  adjustable  screws  in  sunken 
sockets  matched  in  color  the  hardware,  and  non-rusting  wire  screens 
had  a  patent  insect  escape  to  lure  the  fly  to  the  open. 

Leaded  lights  that  cheer  with  varied  hue  both  out  and  iri- 
looker  as  day  merges  into  night  lighted  the  staircase  landing. 

Most  leaded  and  stained  glass  bathroom  windows  were  set 
high,  and  even  a  northern  room  was  glowed  by  the  use  of  opalescent 
glass  of  golden  hue.  We  also  juggled  with  two  rooms  facing  due 
north,  producing  in  some  degree  the  effect  of  light  and  warmth  by 
judicious  placing  of  wall  dressing  mirrors. 

Corner  windows  were  many,  as  they  give  most  light  and  more 
wall  space  for  furniture,  but  care  was  taken  that  none  were  in  line 
with  those  on  the  opposite  side  of  a  room.  First  story  windows  were 
set  2'  6"  from  floor  line,  and  those  of  second  and  third  stories  a 
trifle  higher. 

Translucent  glass  windows  were  fitted  close  to  ceiling  line  on 
the  hall  side  in  several  rooms  with  but  one  outside  wall,  affording 
more  light  and  ventilation,  and  all  bedrooms  had  transoms  or  fan 
lights. 

Glass  formed  the  upper  half  of  the  back  stair  partition,  and  the 
rail  fitted  with  the  hand  grip.* 

Fastened  over  the  entire  outside  window  were  screens  practically 
invisible,  the  wire  approaching  an  atmospheric  color,  with  frames 
painted  to  match  trim  and  aid  in  the  illusion.  In  some  cases  screens 
dropped  into  pockets  when  not  in  use. 

Double  windows  were  drawn  tightly  in  place  by  screws  put  into 
the  frame  through  screw  eyes  fastened  in  the  in-face  of  the  double 
sash,  and  each  had  its  own  ventilating  wicket. 

Telescopic  Window. 

The  five  inch  round  lenses  were  so  ground  that  at  some  angles 
distant  objects  were  magnified,  but  the  effect  on  the  eyes  made  the 
scheme  impracticable. 

Single  Block  Stone  Steps. 

The  set  of  three  entrance  steps  and  the  buttresses  at  each  side 
cut  from  a  single  block  of  granite,  prevented  for  all  time  a 
sagging,  open-jointed  step. 

*The  dark  hall  and  stair  were  unknown  conditions. 


FEUDAL  HALL  217 


THE  KNOCKER  MADE  FAMOUS  BY  PAUL  REVERE. 

The  Pig  Door. 

The  door  through  which  we  entered  the  home  was  called  in 
old  English  parlance  the  "pig  door,"  built  by  our  ancestors  to  pre- 
vent wandering  swine  from  encroaching  on  granary  or  dwelling. 
Both  upper  and  lower  halves  swung  on  ponderous  black  iron  hinges, 
and  were  oak-ribbed,  bolt-studded  and  iron-banded.  The  quaint  iron 
knocker  was  that  used  by  Paul  Revere  when,  on  the  night  of  his 
wild  ride  through  Lexington  and  Concord,  he  awakened  John  Han- 
cock and  Samuel  Adams  with  the  warning  that  the  British  were 
marching  on  the  Concord  stores.  Only  a  bit  of  metal,  yet  few  lift 
the  old  knocker  without  being  thrilled  by  the  thought  that  it  once 
vibrated  with  the  first  shots  of  the  Revolution  fired  on  the  village 
green  of  Lexington — that  fusillade  that  was  heard  round  the  world. 

Feudal  Hall. 

In  the  hall  we  strike  the  key  note  of  the  house.  Centreing  the 
home,  it  centres  our  thoughts  of  hospitality  and  good  cheer,  its  walls 
ever  greeting  the  coming  and  speeding  the  parting  guest.  The 
impress  of  feudalism  stamped  generous  fireplace,  and  vaulted  and 
groined  roof.  Cold,  I  grant,  through  its  very  grandeur,  but  home 
feeling  is  ever  the  same,  whether  in  mediaeval  mansion,  elaborated  with 
drawbridge,  portcullis,  and  conning  tower,  or  in  the  rose-porched 
cottage  under  the  hill. 

Living  Room. 

Passing  through  the  entrance  hall,  we  enter  the  living  room 
of  Pinnacle.  The  half  dozen  French  windows  face  the  west,  opening 
upon  the  loggia  from  which  broad  steps  edging  the  esplanade  lead  to 
the  formal  gardens,  embellished  with  pergolas  and  arbors.  At  the  end 
of  the  long  vista  is  the  Italian  adaptation  of  statue  and  vase. 


218  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

Looking  down  on  the  sunken  gardens,  the  eye  covers  a  wide 
range  of  rare  trees,  shrubs,  and  plants,  while  on  the  outskirts  are 
evergreens,  interspersed  with  silver  birches,  imitating  Nature,  who 
often  uses  them  as  a  foil  against  evergreen  backgrounds,  this  planting 
forming  a  natural  setting  for  brilliantly  massed  azalias,  rhododen- 
drons and  peonies. 

The  sunken  garden  was  developed  and  embellished  as  sunken 
gardens  generally  are,  with  centred  pool,  half-circled  seats,  colonnade, 
pergola,  fountain,  vase,  and  statuary.  Yew  and  privet  were  trimmed 
to  the  extreme  of  formalism  in  cube,  cone,  oval,  pyramid  and  mound, 
and  even  in  bird  and  animal  forms,  and  niches  cut  in  the  ten  foot 
high  privet  hedge  to  frame  and  canopy  faun  and  satyr,  Greek  god, 
and  mythological  hero  as  well  as  a  Cleopatra  and  a  Caesar. 

Arbre-arched  foot  gates  with  garniture  of  bloom  pierced  the  big 
boundary  hedges,  and  tempted  the  stroller  in  that  fair  garden  to 
wider  wandering  through  sylvan  realms  of  meadow,  dell,  and  wood, 
threaded  by  babbling  brook  and  foam-flecked  waterfall  that  faintly 
murmur  in  the  distance.  At  the  horizon  line  loom  the  hills. 

An  entrance  from  one  side  of  the  living  room  led  to  a  secluded, 
columned,  and  arched  patio,  whose  courtyard  centre  was  grass-sown, 
pathed,  and  shrubbed,  save  where  fountained  lily  pond  partially 
reflected  arch,  column  and  tiled  roof  line.  We  never  transplanted 
weed-filled  sod  but  used  grass  seed  except  for  path  borders,  which 
were  sodded  wide  enough  for  satisfactory  use  of  the  ordinary  lawn 
mower. 

Two  large  settles  flanked  the  living  room's  twin  fireplaces,  and 
a  most  comfortable  bit  of  furniture  was  a  big  double-sided  club 
davenport,  with  concave  end,  in  which  fitted  a  movable  round  table 
for  books  and  writing  material.  Foot  wide  mirrors  in  the  corners 
to  window  top  height  gave  no  ill-bred,  staring  reflections,  simply 
fleeting  glimpses  of  persons  and  objects.  In  fact,  in  arranging  this 
interior  we  tried  to  produce  that  "round  the  corner"  feeling  that 
destroys  the  sense  of  barrenness  felt  when  every  detail  of  a  large 
room  is  seen  at  a  glance. 

The  fluted  columns  and  pilasters  were  ornamented  four  or  five 
feet  from  the  floor  with  inset  pressed  wood  in  appropriate  design. 

Ancestral  Portrait  Gallery. 

At  one  side  was  a  long  corridor  dignified  by  the  term  "Ancestral 
Hall,"  its  ceiling  slightly  groined,  and  over  the  portraits  of  "cavalier 
and  ladye  faire"  were  grouped  pike,  asbolt,  hauberk,  and  cuirass  bat- 
tered and  slashed  in  battle  before  the  beginning  of  our  present  Ameri- 
can civilization. 

Integral  with  the  living  room  was  the  red,  quarry-tiled  loggia, 
with  its  chimney  corner,  settle,  and  easy  chair.  As  many  meals  were 
to  be  eaten  in  the  open  it  also  connected  with  the  serving  pantry. 


A  NOVEL  BOOKSHELF  219 

The  music  room,  carpetless,  pictureless,  and  almost  draperyless, 
complying  as  far  as  might  be  with  little  known  acoustic  laws,  and  was 
so  placed  as  to  be  neither  over  damp  nor  over  dry,  too  hot  nor  too  cold, 
and  instruments  were  kept  away  from  outside  walls. 

Library. 

The  tones  of  the  driftwood  fire  were  the  keynote  to  the  color- 
ing in  the  library,  and  a  sense  of  ease  and  comfort  permeated  every 
corner.  Books  everywhere,  with  bookcases  convenient  to  the  pair 
of  big  davenports  that  right-angled  the  fireplace  proclaimed  the  book 
lover.  Over  the  mantel  in  burnt  wood  Avas  traced  the  sage  advice: 
"First  think  out  your  work,  then  work  out  your  thought,"  one 
corner  stone  of  all  accomplishment.  The  motto  habit  also  invaded 
porch-room,  den  and  billiard  room  as  seen  in :  "Fait  ce  que  voudrais," 
and  "Usted  esta  en  su  casa."  But  of  greater  interest  than  all  others 
was  that  ancient  Egyptian  motto  that  may  have  arched  the  library 
wall  of  the  builder  or  architect  of  Cheops — "A  storehouse  medicine 
of  the  mind."  No  mottoes  were  carved  in  stone  or  wood,  but 
admitted  of  change  or  elimination  whenever  tiresome. 

A  mezzanine  floor  at  one  end  of  the  library,  reached  by  a  private 
stair,  made  the  cosiest  sort  of  a  writing  nook,  ventilation  being 
accomplished  through  a  chimney  flue. 

A  Novel  Bookshelf. 

Bookshelves  built  conveniently  low  allowed  pictures  hung  at  eye 
line.  They  were  fitted  with  narrow,  leather  flap  dust  guards.  The 
unusual  and  attractive  effect  of  a  long  perfectly  level  and  uninter- 
rupted line  of  books  the  entire  width  of  the  room  was  obtained  by 
the  pardonable  and  harmless  lapse  in  taste  of  setting  back  the  usual 
four  feet  apart  division  supports  three  inches  from  the'  front  shelf 
edge,  and  filling  out  the  space  with  short  dummy  leather  backed  books 
securely  fastened  in  place,  harmonizing  in  color  with  the  genuine. 

The  self-locking  metal  curtains  used  only  at  house  closing  or 
possible  leasing  times  were  thoroughly  ventilated  at  top,  bottom,  and 
sides,  to  dissipate  the  moisture  attracted  by  leather.  The  cupboard 
at  the  base  was  wide  enough  to  form  a  convenient  step  or  ledge,  and 
the  upper  shelf  served  to  hold  minor  lares  and  penates.  Bookshelf 
area  was  sufficient  to  satisfy  the  most  exacting  bibliophile. 

Conservatory. 

Conservatory  floor  and  side  walls  were  white-tiled  as  in  Shore 
Rocks  to  contrast  with  green  foliage,  and  the  basin  of  the  fountain 
held  that  wonderful  water  plant,  the  Victoria  Regina,  which  looks 
like  an  enormous  pancake  with  turned-up  edge.  In  one  corner  was  a 
leather-cushioned,  chain-hung  seat,  embowered  in  vines.  Slate  flower 
benches  were  held  in  place  by  galvanized  iron  supports,  and  there 
was  a  cement  rose  border.  Electrolier  and  side  lights  were  of  non- 


220  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

corrosive  glass  with  pendant  prisms,  upper  window  sash  of  leaded 
glass  with  a  tracery  of  vines,  white  tile  floor  was  laid  to  properly 
drain,  and  roof  framing  beams  of  galvanized  iron  painted  were  to 
match  trim- — preferable  in  appearance  to  those  of  stained,  reinforced 
cement. 

Hidden  Stair. 

My  business  office  had  an  outside  entrance,  and  connected  with 
the  boudoir  suite  by  a  hidden  stair  of  quaint  design  revealed  in  the 
wainscot  on  pressure  of  a  secret  spring.  This  stair  opened  into  a 
closet  on  the  floor  above,  with  invisible  lock  and  hinges  and  secure 
fastenings. 

Detached  Fireproof  Den. 

Separated  from  the  house  by  an  enclosed  tiled  court  of  less  than 
a  dozen  feet  in  width,  but  adjoining  the  office,  was  a  fireproof  den 
of  iron,  cement  and  terra  cotta  construction,  electrically  protected 
at  all  outlets  and  with  iron  barred  and  shuttered  windows. 

Dining  Room. 

A  dining  room  of  generous  size  made  possible  a  large  breakfast 
bay  across  whose  over  beam  at  entrance  was  drawn  a  portiere  and 
here  knight  and  ladye  sat  at  a  real  "round  table."  The  ceiling  was 
crossed  with  six  heavy  beams  and  side  walls  were  wainscoted  to  the 
ceiling  in  square  panels  of  quartered  oak. 

Fruit  and  game  pictures  were  tabu,  but  in  a  light  that  best 
suited  it  hung  our  "Jungfrau."  The  oak  trim  was  that  indefinable 
shade  of  faded  gray  made  by  sand,  sun,  and  wave,  as  seen  in  some 
storm-tossed  bit  of  beach  wreckage.  Two  doors  connected  dining 
room  and  butler's  pantry,  each  with  an  inset  of  six  by  six  inch 
translucent  glass,  one  fitted  with  rim-protected  dish  shelves  on  pantry 
side.  Swinging  on  a  pivot,  dishes  could  be  swerved  to  either  room, 
and  service  shelves  between  pantry  and  kitchen  operated  in  like 
manner. 

The  butler's  pantry  cupboard  had  sliding  doors  with  curved 
upper  muntins,  shelves  of  varied  width  and  height,  with  drawers 
beneath  the  working  shelf,  and  storage  lockers  to  ceiling.  The 
radiator  was  in  the  form  of  a  shelved  plate  warmer. 

The  Loggia. 

One  loggia  practically  open  on  three  sides  had  ten  glass  doors 
which  were  replaced  with  screens  in  summer,  a  fireplace  opening  ten 
feet  wide,  roughly  forged  and  hammered  iron  andirons,  and  fire  tools 
six  feet  high.  The  floor  of  bricks  laid  narrow  side  up  in  geometrical 
design  on  a  four  foot  deep  tar  protected  cement  foundation  suitably 
underdrained  sloped  toward  a  manhole.  Dry  cement  was  dusted 
between  the  bricks,  and  hose  turned  on  it,  after  which  every  vestige 
of  cement  was  immediately  scrubbed  from  the  surface  which  was 
then  left  to  dry  and  harden. 


THE  GIANT  HEARTHSTONE  221 

A  ramp  connecting  veranda  and  belvedere  was  easier  to  climb 
and  far  safer  at  dusk  than  steps,  danger  of  slipping  being  eliminated 
by  tiling  with  hard,  rough  cast,  square  bricks. 

The  Log  Cabin. 

At  one  time  it  was  humorously  suggested  that  we  give  up  the 
modern  semi-Dutch  kitchen  and  duplicate  that  of  my  grandsire, 
Robert  Stewart  of  Gloucester,  Massachusetts,  with  its  hewn  beams, 
wide  fireplace,  crane,  trammels,  turnspit,  and  a  brick  oven  in  which 
to  bake  the  Beverly  beans.  The  scheme  was  finally  relegated  to  the 
log  cabin  built  on  one  of  the  outlying  crags  of  Pinnacle.  Motoring 
to  Haverhill,  we  took  the  measurements  of  the  kitchen  in  the  old 
Whittier  homestead,  practically  a  duplicate  of  grandfather  Stewart's. 

And  "lest  we  forget,"  just  a  word  about  that  log  cabin  built  in 
Brobdignagian  proportions.  There  we  reveled  in  old-fashioned  what- 
nots, lowboys  and  tallboys,  bouldered  stone  fireplaces,  and  "sich." 
For  an  armoire  we  used  the  trunk  of  horse  hair  with  drawers  in 
the  front  and  brass  nails  on  top,  proclaiming  the  fact  that  my  great- 
great  grandfather  labeled  it  in  1708 — probably  just  before  some 
momentous  and  much-talked  of  thirty-mile  stage  trip  to  Boston  town. 

On  the  hand-wrought  nails  in  rough-hewn  beams  of  this  log 
cabin  hung  seed  popcorn  and  red  peppers,  matchlock  and  powder 
horn.  Where  the  logs  of  which  it  was  built  showed  on  the  interior 
they  were  peeled  and  varnished — a  vandal  act,  I  grant,  but  worms 
and  woodtick  intruders  must  be  banished.  For  a  door-step  we  took 
from  the  house  of  this  same  forbear  the  stone  threshold  on  which 
the  Indians  once  sharpened  their  scalping  knives.  Needless  to  say  the 
massacre  did  not  materialize,  or  Pinnacle  might  never  have  been  built. 

The  Dutch  door  had  a  big  clumsy  ten  inch  keyed  lock,  in  size 
rivaling  that  of  the  Bastile,  and  mid-way  in  the  upper  half  a  welcom- 
ing, bright,  brass  knocker,  just  below  an  antique  bull's  eye. 

The  Giant  Hearthstone. 

That  hearthstone  was  the  pride  of  our  hearts.  We  once  built 
a  house  simply  to  specialize  big  bouldered  stone  twin  chimneys,  and 
the  log  cabin  was  located  to  specialize  the  biggest  hearthstone  in  the 
State.  Glacial  action  had  worn  fairly  smooth  a  rock  eighteen  feet 
wide  and  twelve  feet  across,  and  our  Jimmy,  as  constant  as  the 
"Northern  Star,"  jimmied  off  with  wredge  and  sledge  all  protuber- 
ances and  smoothed  its  edges  until  the  cabin  floor  fitted  closely  against 
it.  We  relinquished  a  finer  view  to  capture  that  hearthstone,  placed 
for  us  by  Dame  Nature  when  the  world  was  young.  A  dozen  modern 
flre-\vorshippers  could  easily  half-circle  the  blazing  logs. 

The  well  hole  over  the  big  living  room  extended  to  the  roof 
and  a  half  dozen  bedrooms  led  from  a  gallery.  Each  side  of  the 
big  chimney,  the  corridor  being  closed  at  this  end,  were  roughly 
made  iron  banded  shutters  that  generally  stood  open,  and  gave  a 


222  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

pioneer  block  house  aspect  to  our  cabin,  a  bit  suggestive  of  the  squint- 
eye  window  of  a  Saxon  hall. 

Flambeau  Fireplace. 

The  log  cabin  chimney  had  not  only  a  giant  hearthstone,  but  a 
flambeau  fireplace.  A  separate  flue  built  above  the  stone  mantel,  and 
the  fire  barriered  by  a  heavy  iron  grilled  front,  was  a  quaint  conceit 
that  never  grew  tiresome,  as  quaint  conceits  often  do.  Those  were 
never-to-be-forgotten  days  when  our  big  flashing  wall  candle  of  pitch 
pine  knots,  a  relic  of  mediaeval  times,  fitfully  threw  weird  shadows 
to  the  deepest  recesses  of  vaulted  hall,  over  banquet  board  and  merry 
dancers.  An  iron  floor  grate  increased  the  up-draught  and  safely  dis- 
posed of  ashes  in  a  clean-out  pocket. 

At  one  end  of  our  imitation  of  a  Saxon-thayne  timbered  hall 
a  dais  not  only  served  for  a  dining  room  platform  but  made  a  fine 
view  point  from  which  to  take  in  the  goodly  proportions  and  distinc- 
tive features  of  the  big  hall.  From  it  opened  a  door  to  an  old  Saxon 
bower  room  and  at  one  side  a  Dutch  door  led  to  pantry  and  kitchen. 
A  cedar-railed  staircase  crossed  one  end  of  the  high  raftered  hall 
above  the  front  door,  and  trailed  upward  to  the  lookout  on  the  roof, 
stopping  at  the  first  corridor  to  land  and  receive  passengers.  We 
even  essayed  to  trim  the  den  with  weather-beaten  wood,  but  it  soon 
grew  monotonous,  and  caught  both  dust  and  clothing. 

Beneath  the  unplastered  shingle  roof  were  extra  sleeping 
rooms.  When  the  cares  of  the  big  house  with  its  guests  and  ser- 
vants made  nervous  prostration  imminent,  the  log  cabin  was  a  most 
delightful  retreat  and  on  cool  fall  nights  the  patter  of  raindrops  on 
its  shingle  roof  as  rhythmical  as  that  purling  brook  of  the  poet,  that 
"goes  on  forever,"  lulled  us  to  sleep  in  its  prophet's  chamber.  In  an 
inner  sanctum  of  that  same  garret  where  we  treasured  what  time 
had  yellowed  and  odored,  a  fagged  out,  ennuied  present  drew  inspira- 
tion from  an  angular,  puritanical  past. 

One  interesting  mantel  was  of  gray  weather-beaten  boards  and 
fence  posts,  over-mantel  decorated  with  berry-laden  branches,  the 
whole  copied  from  a  scheme  worked  out  by  some  artist  friends. 

A  White  Kitchen. 

Returning  from  the  detour  to  the  log  cabin  let  us  re-enter  Pin- 
nacle by  way  of  the  white  kitchen — yes,  woodwork  and  doors  enam- 
eled white  and  floor  and  walls  white  tiled,  with  ceiling  of  metal 
nailed  over  the  plastering, — a  room  that  could  be  easily  hosed,  or,  as 
the  English  housewife  has  it,  "swilled."'  Cooking  utensils  were 
mostly  of  aluminum,  and  hung  in  plain  sight,  so  that  their  condition 
could  be  seen  at  a  glance. 

In  the  centre  of  the  room  stood  a  large  cooking  table,  with 
adjustable  soapstone  top,  preferable  to  marble,  as  it  can  be  planed 
smooth  whenever  worn,  leaving  no  scratch  wherein  the  elusive 


ELIMINATING  KITCHEN  ODORS 

microbe  may  hide.  It  was  fitted  with  curved  drawers  and  a  metal 
framework  with  hooks  for  cooking  utensils. 

The  range,  a  combination  coal,  gas,  and  electric,  with  a  glass 
hood,  kept  this  important  corner  light  and  wholesome.  Pressure 
of  a  button  operated  a  fan  in  the  ventilating  flue,  sending  all  odors 
within  twenty  feet  skyward.  Another  flue  at  ceiling  height  captured 
any  escapes.  On  the  range  was  a  thermometer  and  under  it  an  ash 
flue.  In  another  house  the  range  connected  by  metal  tube  with  a 
cellar  metal  ash  barrel.  A  tight  fitting  collar  joint  and  duplicate 
ash  can  made  the  scheme  a  success. 

A  copper  boiler  connected  with  the  range  by  brass  piping  had 
in  spite  of  plumbers'  ridicule  a  safety  valve,  as  well  as  mud  cocks, 
and  when  careless  cooks  set  it  to  hammering  we  listened  with  calm 
complacency.  We  found  copper  boilers  heated  water  in  record  time. 

A  gas  heating  appliance  fitted  to  the  range  boiler  means  less 
danger  to  health  than  when  used  in  the  confined  space  of  a  bathroom.* 
There  wras  also  a  hot  water  heater  in  the  basement. 

The  enameled  steel  built-in  kitchen  cabinet  was  easily  hosed. 

Chimney  breast  we  faced  with  white  enamel  brick,  and 
against  the  wall  over  the  range  hung  a  metal  box  in  which  to  keep 
floor  cloths,  scrub  brushes,  etc.  With  pipe  ventilation  into  the  chim- 
ney, they  were  always  dry,  clean,  and  odorless.  A  gas  garbage 
incinerator  fed  its  fumes  into  the  chimney  flue. 

Sinks  were  seamless  porcelain,  broad  and  deep  to  curtail  break- 
age, and  set  six  inches  higher  than  usual,  saving  many  a  backache, 
and  a  silent  protest  to  the  manufacturer  who,  in  order  to  place  sinks 
under  window  sills,  invariably  makes  them  too  low  for  comfort.  We 
also  used  the  hotel  device  for  dish  washing,  eliminating  the  insanitary 
dish  towel,  as  well  as  economizing  time. 

A  grease  trap  under  the  kitchen  sink  not  only  saved  soap  grease 
but  helped  to  prevent  clogged  pipes. 

Eliminating  Kitchen  Odors. 

In  Pinnacle  was  completely  solved  one  bete  noir  of  housekeepers, 
kitchen  odors,  which  were  absolutely  controlled  not  only  by  means 
of  a  glass  hood,  electric  up-chimney  fan  and  two  widely  separated 
doors  in  butler's  pantry,  but  by  a  narrow  passage  between  it  and  the 
kitchen  with  low  funnel-shaped  ceiling  beginning  at  door  top  and 
centreing  an  electrically  fanned  flue  leading  into  an  exceptionally 
large  ventilating  chimney  flue  holding  in  its  centre  by  crossed  irons 
the  tiled  range  flue.  The  air  lifting  brick  chamber  did  yeoman  work 
in  kitchen,  billiard  room  and  bathroom,  and  was  largely  responsible 
for  our  free-from-odor-house,  while  the  funnel-ceilinged  corridor  was 
the  court  of  last  resort  for  kitchen  odors  from  which  there  was  no 
other  appeal. 

'•"Deoxidized  air  under  the  above  conditions  recently  caused  the  death  of  one  who  did  not 
know  the  danger. 


224  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

The  refrigerator  room  served  also  as  a  cold  storage  room,  with 
packed  sawdust  doors  as  well  as  sides,  and  we  had  our  own  hygeia 
ice  plant.  One  cake  of  ice  would  answer  all  the  year  though  renew- 
als are  desirable,  but  in  the  event  of  needing  ice  it  was  delivered 
directly  into  the  built-in  refrigerator  through  a  door  opening  from 
a  small  side  porch.  Drainage  pipe  whose  end  connected  with  a 
cement  surface  gutter  was  screened  with  copper  wire.  Pipe  was  left 
six  inches  above  ground.  A  small  alcove  cupboard  on  side  porch 
served  for  use  of  milkman  and  grocer. 

Vermin-proof  Store  Room. 

This  cold  storage  room  was  made  rat  and  vermin-proof  by  gal- 
vanized one-quarter  inch  mesh  laid  over  floors,  side  walls,  and  ceiling, 
and  set  in  the  cement. 

Basement  Rooms. 

As  the  house  was  side-hilled,  laundry,  servants'  dining  room 
and  servants'  hall  were  above  ground,  avoiding  a  dark  unhealthy 
basement.  Laundry  equipment  included  porcelain  washtubs  with 
non-projecting  faucets,  electric  washers,  mangles,  etc.,  and  a  drying 
machine  in  an  adjoining  room. 

Wire  screens  shielding  both  laundry  and  some  kitchen  windows 
were  the  impossible  old-fashioned  slate  colored  landscape  design. 

Servants'  dining  room  was  separated  from  laundry  by  columns 
and  grilles,  and  a  wooden  floor  laid  over  the  cement  foundation  with 
the  help  of  enamel  and  spar  varnish  finish  wood  work  made  the  word 
"basement"  a  misnomer. 

Cellar. 

The  cellar  was  tarred  and  cemented  to  exclude  ground  air  and 
dampness,  walls  murescoed,  separate  rooms  brick  partitioned  and 
provided  with  thorough  ventilation,  and  the  entire  floor  drained  to 
a  water-sealed  manhole.  All  corners  were  concaved  to  the  ceiling 
line  with  cement.  Ceiling  was  wire  lathed  and  plastered  and  covered 
with  metal  to  reduce  noise,  dust,  and  fire  risk.  Footings  were  rough 
stone,  capped  with  flat  blue  stone,  brick  if  soft  often  deteriorating 
under  ground. 

Here  was  also  a  housekeeping  closet  with  broad  windows  and 
a  set  of  old  fashioned  hanging  shelves  of  non-rusting  enameled  steel, 
and  a  dark  cool  preserve  closet  with  spring  lock,  on  the  north. 

Coal  bins,  brick  partitioned,  with  cement  floors  and  sides,  had 
automatic  chute  delivery,  a  shovel  of  coal  taking  the  place  of  the  one 
removed.  Bins  were  next  to  boiler,  and  the  scuttle  entrance  so 
arranged  that  coal  delivery  did  not  injure  the  lawn. 

A  fireproof  brick  vault — brick  being  our  best  fire  resister — with 
metal  shelf  partitions  and  pigeon  holes  encased  in  asbestos — was  built 
in  a  corner  of  the  cellar  to  protect  papers  hardly  valuable  enough  to 


THE  GUEST  STAIR  225 

keep  in  the  liquid  explosive-proof  safety  vault  built  in  the  foundation 
arch  of  the  chimney,  but  whose  loss  would  be  inconvenient. 

All  cellar  windows  were  large  and  had  step-down  areas  with 
self-draining  blind  ditch  outlets.  Iron  gratings  and  non-corroding 
wire  screens  at  all  cellar  windows  effectually  barred  burglar,  bug, 
and  rodent,  and  allowed  frequent  and  thorough  ventilation. 

Cellar  woodwork,  which  consisted  only  of  window  frames  and 
stairs,  was  painted  white  and  spar  varnished,  and  several  ribbed  glass 
reflectors  increasing  the  light  threefold  swung  within  in  front  of 
area  windows.  The  mixture  of  white  marble  dust  in  cement  floor  and 
sides  and  white  water  paint  applied  to  ceiling  made  the  basement 
exceptionally  light.  The  white  patent  cement  floor  was  as  easily 
cleaned  as  tile. 

Bowling  Alley. 

The  bowding  alley  under  the  high  veranda  platform  with  glassed-in 
front,  reached  by  cement  steps  from  both  verdure  shielded  porch  room 
and  belvedere,  was  finished  before  we  heard  of  the  Italian  damp-proof 
glass-floored  alleys  which  neither  warp  nor  sag.  It  was  the  regula- 
tion eighty-three  foot  length  with  low  return  groove  and  loop-the- 
loop  return  rack. 

Our  elastic  basement  accommodated  also  the  gymnasium, 
Turkish  bath,  and  swimming  pool,  the  walls  of  the  latter  finished 
with  scagliola,  and  water  inlet  safeguarded  as  far  as  possible  from 
germs  by  an  hygienic  filter.  Here  also  was  the  tool  room,  with 
electric  forge  and  lathe.  On  rainy  days  that  basement  was  something 
of  a  beehive. 

The  main  stairway  centreing  our  big  staircase  hall  led  to  a  mid- 
height  platform  lighted  by  a  window  of  stained  glass,  while  a  short 
flight  of  stairs  connected  with  the  floor  above. 

The  Guest  Stair. 

The  awkward  predicament  of  arriving  and  departing  guests 
mingling  on  the  staircase  with  those  in  full  dress  was  obviated  by 
the  following  simple  plan:  The  stairway  twelve  feet  wide,  divided 
by  a  movable  rod  and  curtain  into  two  separate  flights,  one  eight  feet 
and  a  narrower  four-foot  flight  against  the  wall.  This  temporarily 
screened  stair  corridor  reached  by  a  private  paneled  door  in  the 
grilled  and  wainscoted  partition  which  separated  the  entrance  hall 
from  the  staircase  hall  admirably  served  its  purpose — a  private 
stair  connected  with  the  entrance  hall  is  open  to  the  objection  that 
valuable  space  would  be  permanently  taken  from  the  broad  stair- 
case and  second  story  thieves  or  undesirable  callers  could  readily  gain 
the  upper  floors  undetected.  The  twelve  foot  wide  stairway  allowed 
plant  decoration  its  entire  length.  Tall  palms  guarded  from  a  mis- 
step. 

The  squared  staircase  hall  and  the  arched  and  pillared  second- 
floor  hall  corridor,  in  a  measure  an  upstairs  sitting  room  with  fireplace, 


226  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

and  also  reached  by  an  electric  elevator,  are  thus  intertied,  and  form 
unusual  features. 

Checkmating  the  Burglar. 

As  extra  protection  from  the  midnight  prowler  we  enclosed  the 
main  stair  well  at  night  with  flexible  metal  folding  gates  used  later- 
ally and  concealed  in  side  pockets  inset  in  columns,  hoisted  into  the 
ceiling  beams  or  lowered  within  a  solid  surfaced  balustrade  would  prob- 
ably have  been  better.  It  is  practically  impossible  for  these  gates  to 
get  out  of  order,  but  in  case  they  do,  ample  means  of  egress  are  afforded 
by  balconies  and  fire  ropes.  With  this  arrangement  no  intruder 
entering  the  first  floor  or  basement  could  gain  access  to  the  floors 
above,  as  the  back  stairs  were  enclosed  to  form  ample  protection  in 
that  quarter.  Thus  barred,  the  watchdog,  kept  on  the  second  floor, 
was  secure  from  cajolery.  Burglar-proof  mortise  bolts  protected  each 
bedroom  and  were  inset  above  the  reach  of  childish  hands. 

A  frontiersman  gave  me  the  idea  of  secreting  a  revolver  in  a 
leather  pocket  nailed  against  the  back  of  a  picture  within  easy  reach 
of  the  bed,  less  dangerous  than  the  under-the-pillow  plan. 

Fire  and  Burglar  Battling. 

Fire  ropes  of  flexible  wire,  with  swinging  safety  seats,  are 
coiled  in  each  outdoor  bedroom,  but  two  distinctly  separate  flights 
of  stairs  and  the  ready  exit  given  by  balconies  and  sun-bathed  outdoor 
bedrooms  practically  eliminate  all  fire  risk  to  life  and  limb,  especially 
as  the  conning  tower  surmounted  with  a  clerestory  lookout  is  in 
reality  a  narrow  brick  windowed  shaft  centred  with  an  engine  house 
sliding  pole  and  reached  through  fireproof  doors  from  each  landing, 
the  openings  rail  protected. 

High  under  the  eaves  connected  with  the  owner's  suite,  was 
fastened  a  loud  clanging  gong  to  call  the  farmer  and  his  assistants  in 
case  of  fire  or  burglary.  This,  with  an  electric  switch  turning  on 
in  an  instant  every  light  in  the  house,  and  a  couple  of  good  dogs 
one  within  the  house  and  one  without,  seems  preferable  to  a  care- 
lessly handled  burglar  alarm  with  its  unnecessary  "wee  sma'  hour" 
bone-chilling  surprises  or  the  percussion  cap  window  fastening,  one 
of  many  precautionary  devices. 

The  Arch. 

At  the  head  of  the  first  story  stairs  is  a  double  arch,  one  forming 
a  hall  division;  the  other,  directly  back  of  it,  leading  to  the  third 
story  stairs.  The  effect  of  these  with  the  corridor  arches  on  the 
same  floor,  is  called  particularly  pleasing.  Enthusiasm  for  beauty 
as  expressed  in  the  arch  leads  one  back  through  the  centuries  to  that 
first  arch  in  active  service  in  the  world,  the  famous  Cloaca  Maxima 
round  headed  Roman-arch  doing  humble  sewer  duty  in  the  Eternal 
City  on  the  Tiber,  2,400  years  ago,  and  even  today  in  active  service, 
that  arch  sprung  over  a  dozen  centuries  before  the  Incas  ignorantly 


FIRE  AND  BURGLAR  BATTLING  227 

built  their  substitute  peaked  and  narrow  lintels  over  wide  thresholds. 

Bedrooms. 

On  this  second  floor  are  spacious  boudoir,  morning  and  sleep- 
ing rooms  with  many  windows.  In  one  suite  double  doors  were 
used  enlarging  the  room.  Many  bedrooms  have  two  exposures, 
preferably  south  and  west,  cooler  in  summer,  warmer  in  winter, 
bays  and  projections  aiding  materially  in  the  accomplishment  of 
this  purpose,  at  the  same  time  improving  the  exterior  of  the 
house.  Most  masters'  bedrooms  are  large  enough  for  two  couches, 
one  paralleling  the  foot  of  the  bed,  the  other  fronting  the  fireplace 
which  is  almost  as  much  a  feature  of  each  main  bedroom  as  are  the 
windows. 
The  Wall  and  Fireplace  Jewel  Safe. 

In  the  larger  bedrooms  are  small  steel  safes  set  in  cement  and 
riveted  between  wall  studs,  kept  plumb  and  solid  by  an  iron  pipe, 
and  concealed  by  pictures.  One  fireplace  and  hearth  on  the  second 
story  is  large  and  strong  enough  to  hold  a  silver  safe  electrically  pro- 
tected, its  front  concealed  by  a  brass  grilled  register  face  with  invisible 
hinge  and  lock. 

In  the  second  story  hall  is  a  quaint  little  staircase  of  a  half-dozen 
steps,  the  treads  covered  with  red  carpet  held  by  brass  rods. 
Beneath  are  bookshelves.  The  stairs  lead  to  a  boudoir  guest  suite, 
consisting  of  centre  sitting  room,  two  bedrooms  and  bath  closet. 
Casement  leaded  windows  of  translucent  glass  swing  open  into  the 
hall,  assisting  in  its  lighting,  and  make  another  of  the  motifs  linking 
these  three  halls.  Owing  to  the  extreme  height  of  entrance  hall 
directly  below,  the  casements  of  this  low  studded  room  necessarily 
open  close  to  the  floor,  and  require  metal  guard  rails.  All  guest 
rooms  are  fitted  with  writing  desks  complete  in  every  detail.  In  one 
the  bed  is  placed  on  a  dais  with  rounded  corners  in  pillared  and 
windowed  alcove.  When  portieres  are  drawn  the  room  assumes  the 
air  of  a  boudoir.  In  another  is  a  shallow  wall  recess  wide  enough 
to  accommodate  bed  heads  and  draped  by  a  canopy.  This  arrange- 
ment gives  excellent  closets  each  side  of  the  alcove.  All  masters' 
sleeping  rooms  have  additional  blind  doors. 

A  friend  motoring  through  southern  France  noted  that  at  a 
quaint  farm  house  where  he  stopped  the  bed  linen  was  kept  in  drawers 
inset  over  the  fireplace,  a  custom  that  could  hardly  be  copied  in 
some  American-built  houses  without  a  visit  from  the  fire  insurance 
adjuster. 

The  Sunshine  Room  and  Sun-Bath-Room. 

In  planning  we  did  not  forget  the  sun  room,  which  communi- 
cated with  one  main  bedroom  and  the  hall.  With  its  wicker  furni- 
ture, bright  cushions,  rugs,  singing  birds  and  plants,  it  metamorphosed 
January  into  June.  The  sun  bathroom  had  a  large  south  window 
and  a  roof  skylight.  A  tiny  fireplace  hugged  the  wall  and  a  mat- 


228  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

tress  hammock  swung  in  the  sunlight.  Closely  allied  in  comfort, 
though  comfort  of  a  different  kind,  were  the  outdoor  bedrooms  or 
sleeping  porches.  Their  entire  fronts  opened  to  the  south,  with  the 
additional  protection  of  hinged  glass  windows  as  storm  warders  and 
screens  in  summer.  One  window  set  low  and  over  weighted  was 
raised  by  pressing  a  button  and  a  timid  sleeper  could  roll  on  to  the 
couch  set  against  it  in  the  main  bedroom.  On  the  protected  sides 
of  these  outdoor  bedrooms  each  alternate  window  was  high,  leaving 
space  beneath  for  dressing  table  or  chiffonier.  We  cut  away  a  por- 
tion of  the  floor  of  one  sleeping  porch  to  admit  the  trunk  of  a  lofty 
maple  and  trained  its  branches  across  the  south  front  making  a 
veritable  tree-top  room. 

North  light  was  selected  for  the  bird's-eye  maple  room,  as  strong 
sunlight  fades  its  delicate  silvery  beauty  to  a  dingy  yellow.  Floor, 
trim,  doors,  settle,  mantel  and  furniture  are  all  of  selected  bird's-eye 
maple. 

The  Children's  Play  Room. 

The  children's  play  room  and  the  nursery  were  somewhat 
isolated  and  floors  deadened.  They  had  indestructible  cement  walls, 
wooden  floors,  and  frieze,  wall,  and  dado  in  pictured  story  which 
could  be  varied  from  time  to  time.  On  the  high  vaulted  ceiling  was 
outlined  a  chart  of  the  star-studded  winter  sky.  A  door  panel  held 
an  explanatory  key.  Windows  extended  to  ceiling  line,  were  not 
over  low,  and  rail  barred. 

At  the  east  side  of  the  second  floor  hall  sitting  room,  stairs  led 
to  the  third  floor,  and  on  the  fourth  were  rooms  typifying  Japan, 
China,  and  Spain,  while  American  Indian  life  was  exhaustively  por- 
trayed. 

Cedar  Closets  and  Window  Seats. 

On  this  floor  was  built  a  real  cedar  closet — the  variety  of  cedar 
that  holds  its  odor,  rarely  found  in  the  lumber  yard,  but  cut  for  us 
in  the  woods.  Its  next  door  neighbor  was  a  shelved  and  drawered 
napery  containing  an  inner  shelved  closet  with  double  Victorian 
folding  doors  seven  feet  high. 

Invisible  Doors  and  Secret  Closets. 

Panels  in  several  rooms  served  the  purpose  of  doors,  using  invis- 
ible hinge  and  lock,  much  less  disfiguring  to  the  room ;  passageways 
leading  from  others  were  paneled,  the  broad  panels  opening  into 
deep  closets  fitted  with  dress  rods,  hat  fixtures,  and  partitioned  shelves 
and  drawers.  A  ten  inch  wide  shoe  shelf  set  six  inches  from  the  floor 
and  extending  on  two  sides  of  the  closet  is  concealed  in  several 
instances  by  a  rolltop  arrangement  similar  to  that  used  on  desks. 
Sets  of  drawers  were  built  into  the  sides  of  the  chimney  jog  in  some 
of  the  bedrooms,  also  closets  fitted  for  men's  apparel,  and  after  the 
carpenters  had  left  it  was  surprising  how  easily  some  secret  closets 


PASSING  OF  THE  INSECT  PEST  229 

were  planned  and  constructed  known  only  to  myself — in  fact,  the 
dress  and  diamond  smuggler  with  his  false  bottom  trunks  can  be  easily 
outdone  by  the  home  builder.  False  backs  in  some  dressers  and 
chiffoniers  slid  upward,  revealing  a  secret  space  some  four  inches  deep 
occupied  by  removable  plush  covered  shelves  for  jewelry  and  other 
small  articles  of  value. 

The  Secret  Room. 

My  chef  d'oeuvre  was  a  secret  room  five  by  eight  with  nine  foot 
ceiling,  entered  by  a  concealed  door  whose  location  has  so  far  defied 
the  most  observing. 

Developing  Room. 

Magazine  pokeholes  were  under  the  stairway  and  eaves.  In  the 
third  story  a  developing  room  well  ventilated  by  an  up-chimney 
electric  fan  was  fitted  with  porcelain  sink,  hot  and  cold  water,  and 
other  conveniences.  Its  side  walls  and  door  were  inset  with  colored 
glass.  A  porch  room  closet  taken  from  a  jog  siding  the  parlor  chim- 
ney conveniently  held,  under  lock  and  key,  wraps,  toys,  books,  and 
sewing. 
Toggery  Closet. 

Profiting  by  the  experience  of  a  friend  whose  plates  and  films, 
valued  at  thousands  of  dollars,  stored  in  a  closet  under  a  bathroom, 
were  ruined  by  the  thawing  of  a  frozen  water  pipe,  we  kept  toggery 
such  as  fishing  tackle,  guns,  camera  plates,  etc.,  in  a  Yale  locked  attic 
closet,  building  over  the  plate  and  film  shelf  as  extra  protection  a 
water-proof  metal  hood.  Our  rarest  plates  and  films  however  were 
pigeon-holed  in  the  fire  and  damp-proof  vault.  Exposed  rafters  in 
the  closet  were  fitted  with  hooks,  nails,  and  shelves. 

Passing  of  the  Insect  Pest. 

Windows  wherever  possible  were  in  all  closets,  and  electric  ceil- 
ing lights  operated  by  switch  just  inside  the  closet  door.  Cord  hung 
bulbs  were  conveniently  placed  for  peering  into  any  especially  dark 
corners.  Closet  walls  and  ceilings  had  three  coats  of  paint  and  a 
finish  of  spar  varnish  enabled  them  to  stand  occasional  washing. 
Instead  of  baseboards,  cement  walls  extended  to  the  floor,  with  a 
sanitary  curve  in  place  of  the  usual  right  angle.  Floors  of  patent 
cement  that  does  not  crumble  and  can  be  kept  clean  made  closets 
insect  proof  and  easily  hosed.  Back  halls  and  all  servants'  rooms  were 
treated  in  like  manner. 

Metal  Clothes  Chute. 

The  clothes  chute  of  non-rusting  aluminum  connected  with  the 
laundry  closet  with  snap  lock  and  was  thoroughly  ventilated  by  wire 
screens  extending  two  feet  downward  from  the  ceiling  following  the 
closet  wall  line,  with  a  wired  opening  at  the  base.  Doors  opened  to 
the  chute  from  each  floor. 


230  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

Yacht  Room. 

The  yacht  room  duplicated  the  stateroom  of  a  cruiser  in  berth, 
locker,  dead-lights,  and  even  hardware,  and  was  a  favorite  rendez- 
vous for  land  sailors  as  well  as  a  boy's  paradise, 

Morning  Room. 

For  real  inspiration  there  is  nothing  like  a  morning  room  facing 
the  east,  where  one  can  see  the  rising  sun  filled  with  the  promise 
of  a  busy  day.  It  had  long  been  my  dream,  and  in  Pinnacle  was 
worked  into  reality,  being  simply  furnished  for  reading,  writing  and 
lounging. 

Mirror  Doors  and  Mirrors. 

On  the  same  floor  was  the  sewing  room,  fitted  with  electric 
sewing  machines,  latest  pressing  equipment,  and  several  triplicate 
mirrors  and  mirror  doors,  the  latter  so  hung  here  and  in  bedrooms 
that  when  open  mirrors  were  opposite,  a  third  in  some  instances  set 
between  them  in  side  walls.  In  one  room  the  door  mirror  divided 
into  small  squares,  and  in  another  curved  wooden  muntins  were  used. 
There  were  mirrors  on  stair  landings,  at  the  ends  of  rooms,  between 
columns,  over  door  heads — even  in  the  space  between  the  trim  sid- 
ing two  windows,  in  this  case  having  carved,  interlaced  muntins  across 
the  face. 

Mirage  Rooms. 

Several  unframed  vista  mirrors  cutting  through  baseboards  to 
the  floor  extended  the  apparent  size  of  our  rooms  indefinitely,  espe- 
cially after  lights  were  turned  on — a  scheme  made  more  effective  by 
filling  the  entire  space  between  two  openings  with  a  mirror  and  con- 
cealing side  and  head  trim  with  portieres.  A  friend  christened  these 
unwalled  illusion  rooms  mirage  rooms. 

Bath  Closets  and  Bathrooms. 

That  in  which  today  even  tenement  life  revels,  the  comfy  of 
the  tub,  was  practically  unknown  to  mediaeval  England.  Both  thane 
and  yokel,  in  the  crudeness  of  the  times,  made  their  advent  and  exit 
without  it. 

Most  masters'  bedrooms  either  connected  with  bath  or  the  sub- 
stitute bath  closet,  wherein  the  entire  floor  space  is  occupied  by  the 
tub,  fitted  with  shower  and  long  swivel  faucets  reaching  close  to  the 
front,  forming  both  wash  basin  and  tub.  As  these  closets  adjoined 
bathrooms,  very  little  extra  piping  was  required.  A  glass  fronted  water 
tight  niche  protected  the  electric  light.  Our  preference  was  for  the 
completely  enameled  steel  tub,  rather  than  solid  porcelain  which  when 
filled  with  water  weighs  over  a  ton  and  absorbs  much  of  the  heat. 
Two  set  twelve  inches  below  floor  line  were  safely  railed  in,  the 
extra  depth  required  taken  from  the  room  beneath,  in  one  case  a 
closet,  in  the  other  a  butler's  pantry.  By  the  use  of  square  end  six 


MIR4GE  ROOMS  231 

foot  tubs  with  high  overflow,  we  proved  that  no  house  is  complete 
without  such  a  tub  and  a  porcelain  tub  four  feet  square  and  fourteen 
inches  deep  having  overflow  twice  the  size  of  inlet  was  especially 
installed  for  children. 

Bathrooms  had  cork  mats  in  brass  edged  insets,  showers  with 
sprinkler  and  needle  attachments  protected  by  plate  glass  and  odorless 
canvas  in  preference  to  a  rubber  curtain,  white  enamel  scales,  mirrored 
medicine  cabinets  set  between  the  studs  and  several  shallow  closets 
partially  inset  in  the  walls  in  the  same  way.  Extra  ventilation  in 
some  cases  was  secured  by  fireplaces,  also  registers  at  base  line  con- 
necting with  the  outer  air.  Tubs  were  fitted  with  rubber  mats  and 
hanging  seats.  Nickel  plated  fire  irons  matched  the  plumbing. 

A  third  story  bathroom  was  tiled  with  sheets  of  cream  white 
glass  four  feet  square,  and  the  same  material  made  an  excellent 
shower  shield. 

Electric  Light  in  Chimney  for  Ventilation. 

My  physician  always  kept  a  lighted  gas  jet  in  one  chimney  flue, 
but  we  found  an  electric  heater  safer,  more  easily  controlled,  and 
it  warmed  the  air  sufficiently  for  free  circulation.  An  electric  bath 
cabinet,  shampoo  fixtures,  sitz  baths  and  bidets  completed  the  bath- 
room comforts. 

Sanitary  Angle  Toilet. 

In  the  basement  was  a  sanitary  angle  toilet.  Bathroom  hard- 
ware matched  plumbing  and  lighting  fixtures,  and  high  leaded  win- 
dows added  much  to,  and  thoroughly  screened  these  rooms.  Where 
two  doors  entered  a  bathroom,  opening  one  electrically  closed  the 
other.  In  one  or  two  a  high  flush  tank  and  pipe  were  concealed  in 
a  near  by  closet,  but  the  low  white  porcelain  tank  was  generally 
installed,  as  it  is  more  easily  inspected  and  kept  in  order.  Later 
all  tanks  were  omitted  in  favor  of  the  stop  valve.  Over  the  toilet 
was  a  chair  with  hinged  cane  seat.  In  several  cases  toilet  and  bath 
were  placed  in  separate  rooms.  Barreled  ceilings  were  used  in  two 
bathrooms  and  in  another  an  electrically  lighted,  stained  glass  elliptic 
canopy  where  the  domed  ceiling  centred  over  head.  This,  with 
Pompeiian  wall  treatment  and  growing  plants,  made  a  luxurious 
bathroom. 

Gold-plated  bathroom  fixtures  never  tarnish,  are  most  effective 
against  a  white  background,  add  in  appearance  far  more  than  their 
cost,  and  should  be  one  of  the  features  of  a  fine  house.  One  master's 
bathroom  was  thus  fitted,  and  in  others  expense  was  curtailed  by  using 
white  enamel  tipped  with  gold  plate. 

Glass  was  found  satisfactory  for  the  tops  of  dressing  tables, 
desks,  towel  racks,  shelves,  set  basin  supports  and  shaving  shelves. 
Several  shaving  jogs  were  built  between  two  small  windows,  and 
fitted  with  triplicate  mirrors  and  electric  lights,  and  dressing  tables 
in  several  rooms  treated  in  like  manner. 


232  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

Overflow  pipes  in  all  fixtures  were  sufficiently  large  to  quickly 
carry  off  the  output  of  both  faucets,  and  are  important  provisions. 
Trouble  from  stoppage  is  farther  minimized  by  placing  a  porcelain 
safe  under  the  housemaid's  sink. 

An  inflowing  pipe  from  the  bottom  of  the  bath  makes  it  less 
convenient  to  ascertain  temperature  of  the  water  or  bathe  injuries 
but  has  the  advantage  of  being  noiseless  and  preventing  servants  from 
drawing  water  in  the  bathroom.  Most  tubs  were  fitted  with  the 
single  combination  faucet,  furnishing  water  of  any  temperature. 

Plumbing  Shut-offs. 

Shut-offs  for  each  and  all  fixtures  were  grouped  in  one  easily 
reached  place  and  legibly  and  permanently  labeled. 

The  use  of  wood  pulp  plaster  throughout  the  house  helped  to 
prevent  falling  ceilings  caused  by  sudden  jars  or  leaking  water  pipes. 

Coal  Saving. 

In  one  of  our  cheaper  houses  we  adopted  the  plan  of  having  a 
galvanized  iron  flue  for  the  furnace  enter  the  chimney  near  roof  line 
by  way  of  back  hall  well  hole,  protected  at  floors  and  partitions  by 
soapstone  collars.  It  is  a  great  house  warmer  and  coal  saver  and  is 
doing  excellent  work  after  twenty  years'  service. 

Fireplaces  from  Ripon  Abbey  to  Venice. 

We  now  come  to  the  soul  of  Pinnacle,  for  it  has  been  aptly  said 
that  "as  the  windows  of  a  house  are  its  eyes,  (and  the  patio  its  heart) 
so  is  the  open  fire  its  soul ;  the  only  physical  matter  therein  that 
leaps  and  darts,  quivers  and  curls;  the  quick  and  subtle  spirit  Pro- 
metheus lured  from  heaven  to  soothe  and  civilize  mankind."  The 
glow  of  burning  wood  brightened  the  living  room,  which  had  a  fire- 
place at  either  end,  while  entrance  hall's  open  mouthed  log  burner 
was  ten  feet  wide.  In  fact,  every  main  room  except  the  dining 
room  had  its  soul,  but  the  dust-gathering  stone  affair  was  omitted 
except  in  the  glass-enclosed  porch  room  fitted  with  suitable  radiators. 

In  a  side  porch  storm  windows  lowered  into  an  opening  in 
the  shingled  railing,  and  the  windy  side  of  a  west  veranda  was  pro- 
tected but  unshadowed  by  a  large  sheet  of  framed  plate  glass  extend- 
ing from  settle  to  porch  roof  securely  screwed  into  place  and  remov- 
able in  summer. 

Feudal  Fireplace. 

Our  20  x  30  foot  studio  with  its  beamed  ceiling  following  the 
roof  line  to  its  highest  peak  was  centred  by  a  triangular  chimney 
with  three  fireplace  openings,  one  on  each  side,  inspired  by  a  chim- 
ney in  the  Tiffany  house,  a  fireplace  at  which  one  could  imagine 
feudalism  warming  itself  over  a  handful  of  blazing  faggots  in  some 
flambeau  lighted,  vaulted  hall  of  those  fortressed  homes  of  the  past. 


FIREPLACES— RIPON  ABBEY  TO  VENICE        233 

Mantel  mirrors  were  barred  as  reflecting  generally  the  unin- 
teresting back  of  a  clock.  We  substituted  tinted  plaster  casts, 
leaded  glass  cabinets,  burnt  wood  designs  and  paintings,  and  in  the 
library  mantel  face  set  a  circular  clock  taken  from  grandfather's 
town  house  library,  where  it  had  faithfully  ticked  through  the  lives 
of  the  household  for  over  fifty  years.  One  over  mantel  was  brick- 
hooded,  one  faced  with  copper,  one  with  plush  and  still  another 
in  tooled  leather  on  which  was  inscribed  the  Stewart  coat  of  arms 
in  shimmering  silver.  One  fire  back  or  reredos  was  iron,  embossed 
with  a  coat  of  arms,  others  of  fire  brick  in  varied  hue  and  one  of 
cement  criss-crossed  with  black  headed  nails.  There  were  Norman 
and  Pompeiian  mantels,  with  full  recognition  given  to  the  line  of 
Louis,  while  Egypt,  that  land  of  heat  and  hieroglyphics,  was  repre- 
sented by  a  mantel  front  modeled  from  crude  tracings  gleaned  from 
Thebes.  A  black  grottoed  fireplace  became  a  real  grotto  of  rocks 
and  ferns  in  summer,  while  another  held  one  of  those  big  shells  from 
the  Orient,  on  whose  white  lip  was  painted  a  yacht  race. 

Hobs  in  the  hall  fireplace  suggested  the  days  when  they  served 
to  hold  kettles,  etc.,  while  a  Dutch  chimney  and  mantel  and  narrow 
leather  cushioned  seats  at  each  end  of  the  fender  top  gave  a  home- 
like air  to  the  den. 

Tiles  in  billiard  room  chimney  breast  represented  windmills  and 
quaintly  rigged  luggers. 

We  had  always  craved  the  antipodal  in  fireplaces — one  as  broad 
as  that  in  Ripon  Abbey  and  another  as  narrow  and  peaked  as  convex 
copper  hood  could  make  it  and  still  keep  the  semblance  of  a  fireplace. 
Lack  of  space  dwarfed  the  former,  but  the  latter  played  its  part 
rarely  well.  Mantel  breasts  were  carried  to  ceiling  height  and 
treated  in  tile,  copper,  or  brass.  In  front  of  one  fireplace  was  inserted 
a  metal  framed  sheet  of  thick  plate  glass  which  served  to  extend  one's 
view  of  the  leaping  flames.  Break?  No;  not  if  fire-tested  and  cor- 
rectly set. 

Some  mantel  shelves  were  placed  very  low ;  others  correspond- 
ingly high — one,  a  couple  of  feet  from  the  ceiling  line  and  boxed  in 
two  feet  in  width,  another  barely  three  feet  above  the  floor  level  and 
supported  by  caryatides;  others  lined  with  the  window  or  door  cap- 
pings.  In  the  drawing  room  was  an  onyx  hearth  and  mantel-face 
with  gilded  shelf  and  brass  andirons,  fender  and  fire  tools.  A  trolley 
rail  we  found  just  the  thing  to  firmly  support  level  headed  fire  open- 
ings, and  where  flue  space  in  chimney  permitted  the  fireplace  con- 
nected with  an  ash  flue,  leading  to  an  ash  pit  in  the  cellar. 

Reluctantly  it  was  decided  to  omit  the  fireplace  in  dining  room, 
though  crackling  flames  add  much  to  good  cheer,  for,  unless  this 
room  is  unusually  large,  someone  is  sure  to  be  made  uncomfortable. 

A  throated  mantel  hood  was  constructed  in  the  billiard  room  by 
bulging  out  the  side  wall  when  the  room  was  plastered.  It  harmon- 


234  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

ized  better  with  the  decorations  than  the  red  brick  mantel  originally 
purchased  for  this  room.  The  ceiling  was  treated  in  Pompeiian  red, 
crossed  by  black  beams,  and  side  walls  wainscoted  below  a  stenciled 
frieze.  One  window  seat  was  regulation  billiard  room  height,  with 
foot  rest,  the  window  guard-railed.  Step-up  window  treatment, 
giving  both  side  settles  and  enlarged  view,  we  adopted  in  several 
attic  rooms. 

For  the  convenience  of  those  who  did  not  care  to  climb,  an 
extra  billiard  table  was  placed  in  an  alcove  of  the  den  on  the  cool 
side  of  the  house. 

The  chimney  flue  in  the  billiard  room  and  an  electric  up-chim- 
ney  fan  joined  forces  against  the  smokers  to  prevent  the  nicotine-laden 
air  from  permeating  the  house.  If  a  chimney  is  built  on  correct 
lines,  the  "help  draw"  ugly  chimney  pot  is  a  useless  addition.  When 
the  fireplace  opening  was  extremely  high,  as  an  additional  aid  the 
chimney  was  split  in  two  at  and  above  the  ridge.  Windows  were  all 
on  one  side,  avoiding  cross  lights  which,  with  overhead  skylight, 
made  it  an  ideal  billiard  room,  a  trifle  larger  than  the  usual  eighteen 
by  twenty-four  feet,  its  walls,  as  well  as  those  of  the  studio,  sand 
finished  to  better  admit  of  mural  stencil  decoration. 

A  Feasible  Lookout  Room,  a  Real  Clerestory. 

Standing  on  a  commanding  peak  in  the  Tyrol,  one  hears  in  the 
distant  valley  the  tinkle  of  cow  bells  and  from  the  village  steeple 
the  call  to  prayer  and  service — the  only  sounds  that  break  the 
Sabbath  stillness.  As  I  thus  stood  one  morning  I  determined  to 
sometime  have  a  home  that  would  remind  me  of  that  fair  spot,  one 
where  the  Sabbath  stillness,  if  desired,  could  last  half  through  the 
week.  From  this  wish  of  mine,  or  rather  because  of  it,  was  evolved 
our  lookout  room,  a  real  clerestory,  compassing  a  magnificent  view, 
and  proving  a  fair  substitute  for  that  Alpine  air  castle.  It  was  a 
homelike  lounging  and  reading  room  of  generous  size,  with  fireplace 
and  conveniently  low  book-shelves  beneath  the  windows,  protected 
from  storm  by  a  broad  ledge.  There  were  high  ventilators  near 
plate  line,  a  wide  overhang,  awnings,  and  electric  fans  to  cool  the 
air  of  this  glass-walled  room — ideal  comfort  thus  fashioned  from  the 
usual  glaring  discomfort  of  the  average  lookout  room.  Here  big 
davenports  vied  with  mattress-fitted,  chain-hung  hammocks. 

The  dome,  reached  by  a  narrow  iron  stairway,  arched  an  iron- 
grated  platform  on  which  was  mounted  a  Clark  telescope  for  sky- 
ranging  and  man-bird  seeking. 

Floors. 

Hardwood  floors  of  oak,  red  birch  and  maple  were  finished  in 
wax,  remembering  in  caring  for  them  that  wax  and  water  clash. 
Parquetry  borders,  but  of  %  stuff,  were  used  throughout  the  house. 
We  found  that  even  the  smaller  rooms  lost  but  little  in  size  if  borders 


PNEUMONIA  PREVENTION  235 

were  not  of  strongly  contrasting  color.  Plain  white  maple  lacked 
character  and  easily  soiled ;  selected  grain  was  used  in  preference. 

All  closet  doors  were  hung  to  open  outward  and  exterior  and 
interior  doors  featured  to  fit  their  belongings.  In  some  cases  a 
portiere  more  conveniently  screened  hall  alcove  and  clothes  press. 
Baseboards  were  preferably  set  on  the  under  floor  and  the  joint  con- 
cealed with  convex  sweeping  moldings.  It  decreased  their  height  but 
made  a  better  job. 

Built-in  drawers  were  not  as  a  rule  exasperatingly  deep,  and 
were  on  rollers  operating  on  centre  guide  strips.  Inside  stops  guarded 
incautious  handlers  from  catastrophes  apt  to  occur  to  incautious 
handlers  of  heavily  laden  drawers. 

Small  rubber  plugs  were  set  in  as  well  as  air  check  valves  affixed 
to  door  frames,  especially  when  doors  were  glass,  behind  them  the 
regulation  door  stop,  and  rubber  and  metal  tipping  of  heavy  furni- 
ture saved  both  nerves  and  floor. 

Hardware. 

Black  iron  was  the  motif  in  the  den  hardware,  and  Colonial 
polished  brass  wherever  suited  to  the  room. 

The  small  brass  drop  proved  a  fine  escutcheon,  and  a  few  bead- 
edged  brass  finger  plates  were  souvenired  from  grandfather's  Colonial 
house  where  we  all  ran  rampant,  especially  on  holidays.  Some 
doors  had  square  or  oval  glass  knobs,  and  porcelain  rather  than 
insanitary  wood  was  used  in  servants'  quarters.  Lacquered  hardware 
in  door  knob  and  handle  soon  wore  off,  while  polished  brass  and 
glass  stood  all  friction  tests,  but  there  was  no  tiresome  uniformity  in 
lock,  bolt,  hinge,  escutcheon,  window  fastening  and  lift,  drawer  pull 
and  knob,  silver  and  gold  plate,  as  well  as  aluminum  being  also  used, 
the  t\vo  latter  with  immense  advantage  to  the  woodwork,  as  they  re- 
quire no  cleaning.  French  casements  were  fitted  with  the  Cremorne 
bolt  or  espagnolette  fastening  reaching  the  full  length  of  the  window. 
It  rarely  gets  out  of  order,  and  secures  both  top  and  bottom  with  one 
wrist  movement.  Butler's  pantry  doors  had  the  usual  double  action 
butt,  and  mortise  locks  prevented  the  use  of  thin  closet  doors.  The 
ugly,  commercial  looking  transom  adjuster  was  replaced  with  a  con- 
cealed wall  fixture. 

A  key  cabinet  held  duplicate  labeled  keys  of  important  rooms 
and  outbuildings,  and  was  securely  locked. 

Pneumonia  Prevention. 

At  ceiling  height  on  each  floor  ventilators  connected  with  a  pipe 
leading  into  the  brick  chamber  surrounding  the  range  chimney  tile 
flue,  which,  being  generally  hot,  drew  fumes  and  odors  upward. 
This,  with  the  influx  of  cool  outer  air  through  controlled  ventilators 
at  two  outer  door-sills  and  under  several  windows,  effectually  ban- 
ished the  usual  steam-pipe  pneumonia-conducing  atmosphere  that 


236  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

sponsors  half  our  winter  ills.     With  thermostats  in  each  room  there 
was  no  excuse  for  over  heating. 

Asbestos  (earth  flax)  and  mineral  wool,  i.  e.,  slag  treated  with 
steam  until  it  looks  like  spun  glass,  were  used  wherever  there  was 
danger  of  a  charred  timber  or  the  annoying  sound  of  running  water. 
One  cellar  ceiling  was  covered  with  sheets  of  asbestos,  later  painted 
to  cover  joints. 
The  Heating  Plant. 

It's  a  long  span  from  the  hypocaust  used  by  ancient  Rome  to 
heat  its  public  baths  to  the  modern  steam  or  hot  water  plant,  but 
present  heating  methods  trace  backward  to  the  luxurious  Roman. 

Our  heating  system  was  direct  and  indirect  radiation,  insuring  a 
constant  supply  of  fresh  air.  By  using  half  of  the  double  firebox  and 
cutting  off  certain  radiators  the  expense  and  care  were  reduced  one- 
third.  The  heating  plant  in  the  cellar  of  the  gardener's  cottage 
connected  with  main  house  by  underground  asbestos-covered  iron 
pipes  which  kept  the  house  free  from  coal  dust,  furnace  noise,  and 
ashes.  A  metal  shield  was  suspended  from  the  ceiling  over  the 
furnace. 

The  Ugly  Radiator. 

Radiators  were  concealed  in  niches,  alcoves,  behind  metal  grilles, 
and  in  window  seats,  but  never  where  they  could  not  receive  a  free 
circulation  of  air,  and  grilles  hinged  to  open  in  extremely  cold  weather 
created  swifter  hot  air  currents.  Enclosed  radiators  require  gen- 
erally from  twenty-five  to  forty-five  per  cent  more  radiating  surface. 

Radiators  in  the  hall  were  concealed  in  alcove  seats,  hidden  by 
silk  fringe,  and  stair  risers  perforated  and  connected  by  ventilating 
pipes  with  boxed-in  radiators.  Wall  radiators  enameled  or  painted 
with  heat-proof  paint  to  match  the  trim  were  used  in  bathrooms,  no 
impudent  silver  or  gilt  monstrosities  stared  at  one  in  Pinnacle. 

One  big  and  ugly  radiator  installed  in  the  cellar  had  special 
air  duct  within  and  without,  but  its  inlet  was  through  the 
side  wall,  rather  than  from  an  insanitary  floor  opening,  and  in  a 
clearance  instead  of  behind  a  door.  Those  concealed  in  settles  were 
set  six  inches  from  window  sills,  this  space,  as  well  as  the  seat 
front,  being  metal  screened. 

Electric  Lighting. 

Considerations  of  safety,  as  well  as  ease  in  repairing  broken 
wires,  led  to  installation  of  the  iron  pipe  system,  in  which  every  wire 
is  under  absolute  control.  If  new  wires  are  needed  they  can  be 
readily  drawn  through  the  pipes.  Outbuildings  were  equipped  with 
the  cable  system  and  exterior  telephone  and  electric  damp-proof  wires 
wherever  possible  buried  in  underground  pipes. 

Great  care  was  taken  that  no  electric  wires  on  the  grounds  were 
fastened  about  a  parent  stem  or  main  branch ;  if  necessary  to  place 
a  wire  against  a  tree,  it  was  protected  by  a  wooden  block.  Many  a 


ELECTRIC  LIGHTING  237 

forest  monarch  has  withered  and  died  by  a  short  circuited  current, 
or  simply  through  a  wire  stay  embedded  in  the  growing  tree,  cutting 
off  the  life-giving  sap.  The  hour-glass  moves  swiftly  in  the  horticul- 
tural world. 

Electric  Fixtures. 

No  one  item  for  its  cost  can  make  or  mar  a  house  more  than 
the  electric  light  fixtures.  From  the  time  when  King  Alfred  first 
encircled  the  snuffed-out  candle  with  a  metal  shield  to  the  present 
day,  the  lantern  has  been  a  decorative  adjunct.  We  swung  in  the 
centre  of  our  twenty-five  foot  hall  ceiling  a  ponderous,  electrically 
lighted  cathedral  lantern  seven  feet  high  and  few  features  in  Pin- 
nacle attracted  more  attention  than  that  christened  King  Alfred's 
lantern. 

For  the  attic  studio,  whose  beamed  ceiling  reaches  to  the  ridge, 
we  chose  a  fixture  having  three  sets  of  circular  lights  of  diminishing 
size,  arranged  one  above  the  other,  the  whole  suspended  from  a 
verde-antique  chain  matching  the  half  dozen  sconces  that  lighted  the 
side  walls.  Two  gala  rooms  illuminated  by  diffused  light  from 
glass  tubes  concealed  at  cornice  line  were  good  examples  of  indirect 
lighting. 

Gas  piping  kept  pace  with  electric  wiring,  and  included  gas  log 
connections  in  several  rooms. 

Combination  gas  and  electric  fixtures  were  installed  in  some 
rooms,  and  when  desirable  low  candle  power  bulbs  used,  preventing 
waste,  while  switches  both  up  and  down  stairs  controlled  many  lights 
within  and  without,  including  the  ventilated  sub-cellar,  a  real  favissa, 
which,  by  the  way,  like  St.  Peter's  Cathedral,  was  of  uniform  tem- 
perature summer  and  winter,  and  properly  drained  proved  a  most 
desirable  addition.  There  were  a  number  of  base  plugs — the  base 
trim  being  high  enough  to  properly  centre  them — connecting  with 
movable  electric  stand  lamps  at  bedside,  study  table  and  easy  chair, 
•dressing  electroliers  before  mirror  doors  and  bureaus,  and  especially 
designed  fixtures  for  picture  gallery,  billiard  room,  bowling  alley, 
den  and  conservatory.  The  latter  were  glass  to  prevent  corrosion. 

The  electric  light  in  hall  wrap  closet  operated  by  opening  and 
shutting  the  door,  automatically  turning  the  current  on  or  off  as 
required,  an  air  check  valve  making  it  economically  satisfactory. 

All  exterior  entrances,  including  the  cellar,  were  lighted  from  a 
switch  within  the  house  placed  near  a  window  so  that  any  visitor 
could  be  scrutinized  before  the  door  was  opened. 

A  secret-  switch  was  installed  just  outside  the  front  door  to  light 
the  house  before  entering,  and  on  one  memorable  occasion  this  pre- 
caution proved  of  value.  Light — the  owner's  best  and  safest  defense 
against  the  midnight  marauder — flooded  the  entire  dtvelling  by 
operating  a  switch  near  the  master's  bed. 

The  front  door  bell  was  placed  on  the  right  of  the  door,  there 
was  also  electric  connection  with  the  knocker,  so  that  when  lifted  it 


238  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

did  double  duty — another  infringement  on  the  realm  of  the  some- 
times over  glamored  antique. 

In  the  dining  room  floor  was  the  usual  foot  bell  connection;  the 
electrical  handmaiden  domineered  in  the  kitchen.  She  peeled 
potatoes,  prepared  other  vegetables,  beat  and  boiled  eggs,  cooked  food 
of  all  kinds  and  fanned  the  dishes  dry — in  fact  proved  trustworthy 
under  the  most  trying  conditions,  and  often  simplified  intricate  house- 
keeping to  the  one  servant  limit. 

Electric  Elevators. 

An  electric  safety  elevator  for  passengers  and  luggage  operated 
from  cellar  to  attic  through  a  brick,  fireproof  shaft;  all  openings 
and  doors  therefrom  metal  sheathed,  experience  having  proved  that  a 
wooden  door  metal  covered  will  not  warp  with  heat  like  a  solid  iron 
door. 

The  same  dynamo  and  engine  used  to  operate  electric  lighting 
and  ice  making  plants  ran  the  vacuum  cleaning  outfit,  whose  pipes 
extended  from  cellar  to  attic  with  convenient  outlets  either  in  closet 
or  hall,  and  through  which  into  the  cellar  metal  dust-box  was  forced 
every  particle  of  dust  from  floors,  walls,  draperies  and  pictures. 
Indeed,  we  used  the  docile,  industrious  servant,  electricity,  that  won- 
derful unknown  force,  in  every  possible  way.  Long  before  the  car- 
bonized vegetation  of  the  coal  mines  is  exhausted  the  pick  of  the 
miner  will  rust  through  disuse,  for  the  penned-in  and  harnessed  might 
of  waterways  will  do  the  bidding  of  the  great  mass  of  humanity 
and  the  electric  switch  and  a  turn  of  the  wrist  will  eliminate  dust, 
ashes,  and  much  of  the  laborious  work  of  today.  In  time  eight 
hours  will  be  halved  by  this  mighty  giant,  and  an  emancipated  super- 
man take  the  place  of  the  present  enslaved,  undeveloped  burden 
bearer. 

Recesses. 

Two  recesses  were  much  in  evidence,  one  a  usable  ingle,  spaced 
for  unscorched  comfort,  the  other  the  billiard  alcove  big  enough  to 
squelch  profanity,  both  advantageously  placed  to  vista  and  enlarge 
what  would  otherwise  have  been  small  adjoining  rooms.  Recesses 
for  sideboards,  beds,  cribs,  bureaus,  drawers,  chests,  closets,  bath  tubs, 
and  shower  jogs  gave  great  results,  and  utilized  waste  space  under 
stairs,  eaves,  and  in  chimney  angles.  Niches  in  side  walls  and  over 
doorways  in  entrance  hall,  corridor,  and  ball  room,  as  well  as 
exteriorly  each  side  of  the  front  door,  aided  in  giving  distinction. 
A  large  sea  shell  from  the  Orient  hooded  a  niche  in  the  plastered 
wall  of  a  hall  recess  holding  a  telephone,  and  the  guest  book  was  kept 
in  a  similar  alcove. 

Solarium. 

One  novelty,  a  recessed,  roofed,  and  windowed  solarium  made 
by  two  projecting  ells,  and  big  enough  for  a  real  room,  with  wainscot 


PERGOLA D  CLOTHES  YARD  239 

and  beamed  ceiling,  was  a  veritable  Sahara  in  July  and  August,  as 
it  faced  south,  but  much  used  in  early  spring  and  late  fall,  being 
easily  screened  with  glass,  netting  or  awning.  Loungingly  furnished, 
it  made  life  in  the  open  possible  for  an  even  ten  months.  When 
southwest  winds  blew  too  strongly  across  the  porch  room  or  steam 
heat  became  unbearable,  our  solarium  proved  a  welcome  retreat. 

The  indoor  effect  of  the  porch  room  we  emphasized  by  using  a 
water-tight  wainscot  seven  feet  high,  thoroughly  painted  on  both 
front  and  back,  and  fastened  firmly  against  the  house.  Over  it  a 
plate  rack  was  set  four  inches  from  the  wall,  the  open  space  protected 
by  a  strip  of  galvanized  wire  mesh.  Wall  area  above  the  wainscot 
was  covered  with  painted  and  stenciled  burlap.  A  broad  brick  tiled 
terrace,  handsomer,  though  more  expensive,  than  cement,  joined  the 
porch  room.  The  combination  brick  and  tile  honeycombed  parapet 
railed  atop  with  plants  gave  protection  from  the  fifty  foot  ravine 
edging  the  terrace. 

A  couple  of  settles  against  the  veranda  rail  extended  beyond  the 
guard  rail  line,  and  woven  galvanized  wire  instead  of  the  usual  hard 
board  seat  supported  the  cushion.  This  projecting  rail  protected  seat 
gave  an  uninterrupted  outlook  on  three  sides,  and  overhung  the  deep 
cliffed  ravine,  while  wide  eaves  shadowed  and  shielded  it. 

Ten  foot  spaces  between  the  supporting  posts  of  one  pergola 
were  filled  with  a  hedge  barrier  of  fine-fibred  Japanese  privet  and  the 
wistaria  centred  pergola  broadened  at  one  end  into  a  square  tea  house 
overlooking  the  ravine  and  the  formal  garden.  Garden  terraces 
pierced  by  closely  cropped  firmed  and  squared  turf  steps  led  to  level 
underdrained  grass  paths — ribbons  of  velvet  green  stretching  between 
borders  of  flaming  color — while  side  entrances  gave  necessary  ingress 
and  egress  to  the  several  outlying  features. 

Pergolad  Clothes  Yard. 

The  clothes  yard  close  by,  hidden  from  view,  had  free  circula- 
tion of  air.  A  latticed,  vine-embowered  screen,  with  arched  gate  was 
our  first  thought,  but  a  grassy  slope  facing  the  southeast  was  finally 
enclosed  with  a  seven  foot  cement  wall  covered  with  climbing  vines, 
and  pergolad  and  side-grilled  to  catch  the  breeze.  The  entrance  was 
through  a  gate  balanced  with  clanking  chain  and  cannon  ball.  In 
another  yard  we  capped  the  honeycombed  wall  with  red  tile.  An 
additional  pergola  screened  the  servants'  portion  of  the  house  and 
path  leading  to  the  service  gate.  Between  column  bases  were  metal- 
lined,  well-drained  plant  boxes  covered  with  rough  bark. 

Awninged  Platform. 

Against  the  house  instead  of  the  objectionable  covered  veranda, 
often  too  narrow  to  be  really  useful,  and  always  darkening  the  rooms, 
we  built  an  awninged  platform  on  the  outer  edge  of  wrhich 
posts  supported  a  plate.  On  this  and  projecting  three  feet  beyond 


240  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

rested  pergola  roof  beams,  fastened  at  their  inner  ends  against  the 
house.  They  were  'permanently  boarded  and  canvas  covered  four 
feet  from  the  building  line,  leaving  the  remaining  ten  feet  to  be  fitted 
with  an  adjustable  awning.  Connecting  with  this  platform  was  the 
porch  room,  with  ceiling  plastered  in  cement  and  beamed  and  decor- 
ated like  a  living  room — an  improvement  over  the  usual  glary, 
varnished,  wooden  porch  ceiling. 

Decoration. 

The  field  of  decoration  in  Pinnacle  we  simply  edge.  A  room 
well  proportioned,  artistically  trimmed,  doored  and  windowed  is 
already  half  decorated. 

An  ideal  house  is  one  in  which  the  soul  can  grow.  Sunshine, 
air,  flowers  and  an  enchanting  view  of  God's  green  earth,  sea  and 
mountain,  vale  and  plain,  ease  burdens  and  dissipate  depression,  that 
arch  enemy  of  spiritual  and  physical  growth. 

One  of  the  greatest  charms  of  house  decoration  is  harmony  of 
color,  and  it  may  be  made  to  cost  but  a  fractional  part  of  the  whole. 
Years  ago  an  artist  friend  studying  in  Paris  gave  me  a  genuine  color 
surprise  by  painting  a  white  picture,  of  its  kind  the  most  effective 
thing  I  ever  saw,  a  study  in  shades  of  white.  A  white  haired  lady 
gowned  in  white  satin  stood  on  a  rug  of  white  bearskin ;  one  hand 
rested  on  a  white  damask-covered  chair,  the  other  on  a  white  enam- 
eled piano,  to  the  right  of  which  was  the  only  bit  of  color  in  the 
room — an  oriental  palm.  That  picture  is  in  my  memory  for  all 
time — just  as  a  single  full  blown  rose  or  a  few  cut  flowers  vased 
appropriately  in  hall,  dining  room,  library,  and  den,  supplemented 
with  growing  plants  on  stair  and  centre  table,  give  added  charm 
to  the  most  luxuriously  furnished  room  and  stamp  it  on  the  mind 
for  days. 

Papering. 

The  problem  of  papering  we  approached  somewhat  cautiously 
annoying  experiences  having  taught  its  limitations,  as  well  as  strong 
points,  one  of  the  latter  being  the  power  of  even  a  cheap  paper  if  of 
suitable  design  to  counteract  the  effect  of  outrageous  architectural 
lapses.  Care  was  taken  to  avoid  the  assertive  spot,  the  gilt  that 
flattens,  the  large  pattern  that  dwarfs  and  the  color  that  kills,  also  to 
remember  that  papers  fade  and  polychrome  effects  tire. 

Brilliant  flowers,  as  well  as  bright  colors,  under  foot  and  on 
wall,  invariably  hold  the  centre  of  the  stage  and  detract  from  the 
effect  of  pictures,  drapery,  and  furniture.  Ceilings  were  light,  fleecy, 
and  uplifting,  rather  than  dark,  overcast,  and  cloud-lowering,  and 
to  prevent  accident  were  canvassed  or  burlapped  before  being  painted 
or  frescoed.  They  were  rarely  papered. 

The  stripe  that  heightens  the  room  that  needs  height  and  the 
one  color  that  gives  tone  to  the  most  ordinary  room,  each  had  an 


DECORATION  241 

appropriate  place.  The  rule  was  to  tack  several  strips  from  ceiling 
to  floor  and  test  for  a  few  days  the  effect  of  both  sun  and  artificial 
light. 

In  plastering  in  some  cases  colors  were  mixed  in  the  mortar,  the 
unevenness  of  tone  so  produced  being  at  least  novel. 

In  one  room  walls  and  ceiling  were  unhygienically  rough  as  gold 
nuggets,  and  we  copper  bronzed  and  gilded  until  it  fairly  blazed  with 
iridescent  rays. 

In  a  twelve  foot  ceilinged  room  a  pictured  side  wall  extending 
from  the  six  foot  wainscot  to  the  cove  made  a  finish  in  appearance 
antedating  Colonial  days. 

Pictures  in  Wood. 

In  another  was  a  rare  wainscot  of  Circassian  walnut,  unpaneled, 
boards  closely  matched  to  form  an  almost  imperceptible  joining,  and 
kiln-dried  to  the  calcine  point.  Crowned  by  a  bit  of  molded  capping, 
these  pictures  in  wood  rivaled  in  beauty  the  work  of  the  frost  king 
on  the  window  panes,  but  its  well  being  meant  drying  out  days 
throughout  the  year.  Heat,  sun,  and  ventilation  can  alone  balk  the 
destroyer  that  always  lurks  in  a  closed  or  partially  closed  house. 

A  touch  of  realism  was  given  the  lofty  raftered  studio  den  by 
suspending  from  the  ceiling  a  trio  of  stuffed  wild  geese  headed  exactly 
north,  rivaling  the  rich  patina  colored  copper  arrow  inset  in  the 
loggia  floor. 

On  the  vaulted  ceiling  of  a  tower  room  an  artist  friend  painted 
a  flock  of  circling  swallows,  half  hidden  in  fleecy  clouds,  while  in 
another  treated  by  a  past  master  in  the  art  was  a  wealth  of  rococo 
decoration  whose  delicate  tracery  seemed  spun  by  fairy  fingers.  We 
banished  from  every  room  heavy  dust  gathering  draperies  that  make 
one  pant  for  fresh  air  and  sunshine,  substituting  in  the  gala  rooms 
non-dust-clinging  silk  and  satin. 

A  Real  Wall  Covering. 

The  originator  of  burlap-covered  walls  smoothed  many  an 
awkward  "thank  you  marm"  that  once  marred  the  decorator's  best 
efforts,  and  burlap  covers  many  a  crack,  nail  hole  and  blemish.  One 
excellent  effect  was  obtained  by  a  new  treatment  of  this  old-time 
wall  covering.  A  gray  white  burlap  was  glued  to  the  wall,  painted 
an  apple  green  and  rubbed  down  before  it  was  thoroughly  dry.  The 
color  thus  removed  unequally,  as  the  cross  threads  on  the  surface 
received  harder  rubbing  than  the  back  threads,  the  green  of  the 
untouched  sunken  threads  showed  through  the  fainter  green  in  spots, 
giving  a  Japanese  silk  effect,  minus  the  raveled  microbe  dust-catching 
ends,  forming  a  wall  almost  as  hard  as  flint,  an  absolutely  hygienic 
surface  that  could  be  redecorated  again  and  again.  Restful  green 
and  restless  red  were  not  forgotten.  Green,  combined  with  white 
enamel  trim  seemed  almost  as  refreshing  as  the  shade  of  a  huge  tree 


242  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

on  a  hot  summer  day,  exampled  in  some  giant  horse  chestnut  whose 
branches  and  leaves  green-swathe  trunk  and  limbs  from  base  to 
topmost  twig. 

In  one  boudoir  we  reveled  in  framed  tapestries,  the  frame  form- 
ing a  door  head  within  which  were  shepherdesses,  cupids,  green  fields, 
and  purling  brooks.  Again,  the  outside  trim  member  was  carried  to 
the  picture  molding  which,  being  in  the  same  design,  formed  a  frame 
in  one  instance  for  plaster  cast,  in  another  for  a  painting  or  burnt 
wood  panel  over  a  window  head. 

Where  windows  and  doors  were  near  together  and  in  line,  one 
long  piece  of  trim  over  two  or  more  incidentally  made  a  frieze 
member,  and  in  a  number  of  rooms  we  built  the  usual  wooden  panels 
over  doors  and  under  windows,  sometimes  decorating  the  former 
with  composition  or  dental  work  against  cap  and  pediment. 

Home-Made  Ornaments. 

Home-made  ornaments,  such  as  fire  hoods,  latches,  hinges,  door- 
plates,  mantel  fronts,  hooded  or  plain,  flat  strips  of  wood  covered 
with  sheet  copper  outlining  the  hearth,  and  burnished  brass  on  kitchen 
table  top,  shelf,  and  service  door  footings  radiated  cheer  especially 
in  the  flickering  light  of  that  wonderful,  glowing  driftwood  blaze 
that  danced  back  and  forth  against  polished  andirons  dented  by 
long  service  and  reflected  in  wall-hung  warming  pan  so  prized  by 
our  forefathers  as  to  be  often  scheduled  in  last  will  and  testament. 
Comfort  and  convenience,  the  tests  every  house  must  stand,  were 
the  first  consideration,  for  a  true  home  should  be  a  haven  of  rest. 
The  mantel,  an  essential  factor  in  the  appearance  of  a  room,  in 
strong  measure  keys  decoration  and  furnishing,  for  structural  beauty 
is  lasting. 

Armored  Knights. 

A  complete  suit  of  armor  stood  at  each  end  of  the  mantel  shelf, 
and  over  balcony  and  high  in  entrance  hall  hung  rare  old  tapestries, 
lending  charm  to  other  furnishings. 

Craving  originality,  as  all  do,  it  is  a  bit  of  a  setback  to  find 
that  the  other  fellow's  idea  has  preceded  that  of  today  by  centuries, 
but  there  is  comfort  in  knowing  that  at  least  the  "bump  on  a  log" 
stage  of  the  world  is  passed,  even  if  efforts  are  horn  ycombed  with 
mistakes.  The  Twentieth  Century  average  man  thinks  "it  is  better  to 
be  a  has-been  than  a  never-was,  a  never-will-be,  or  a  roi  faineant." 

Animal  Lawn  Mowers. 

It  seemed  a  novelty  to  some  of  our  visitors  that  the  lawns 
were  kept  closely  cropped  by  a  trio  of  Angora  goats  and  a 
small  flock  of  sheep,  close  rivals  to  the  up-to-date  motor  lawn  mower, 
and  far  more  picturesque.  An  interlocking  movable  wooden  fence 


COLONIAL  GARDEN  243 

and  saw-buck  sheep  hurdles  purchased  by  the  rod  and  fitted  with 
turnstiles  at  convenient  points  prevented  damage  to  shrubbery  and 
kept  all  rovers  within  bounds. 

At  one  time  extra  heavy  wool  fleeces  encouraged  us  to  increase 
our  flocks  and  develop  a  business  side  to  amateur  farming,  which 
included  squabs,  chickens,  milk,  fruit,  asparagus,  roses,  violet?,  and 
grapes  grown  under  glass. 

The  vista  of  our  broadest  lawn  we  lengthened  by  adding  to  it 
a  half  mile  of  pasture  land,  using  the  old  English  device  of  a  verdure- 
screened  fence  barely  eighteen  inches  high  set  at  an  acute  angle  at 
the  top  of  a  low  terrace.  It  gave  life  to  the  view  pastoral  to  see  in 
the  distance  roving  cattle  and  flocks  of  sheep,  none  daring  to  leap 
the  frail  barrier  showing  simply  as  an  irregular  curving  line  of  low- 
growing  shrubbery  at  the  edge  of  the  actual  lawn. 

Bird  and  Squirrel  Rendezvous. 

In  a  sheltered  and  sunny  nook  was  a  bird  and  squirrel  rendez- 
vous. Suet  was  nailed  against  the  trees,  while  the  ground  was  occa- 
sionally strewn  with  nuts  and  grain,  bringing  within  eyesight,  and 
often  within  touch  a  wild  aviary  wherein  no  wing  was  shorn,  no 
tiny  form  ensnared,  but  where  all  were  as  free  to  come  and  go  as 
the  air  that  lifts  them  skyward.  True,  the  birds  of  the  Orient  were 
missing  from  our  unbarred  aviary,  but  unfettered  native  bird  life 
joyously  warbled  songs  of  freedom. 

Colonial  Garden. 

"Not  wholly  in  the  busy  world  nor  quite  beyond  it  blooms  the 
garden  that  I  love." 

We  duplicated  the  old-fashioned  alleys  of  box  and  the  geometric- 
ally designed  flower  garden  of  our  grandmothers,  in  some  cases 
bordered  with  English  ivy  and  one  blaze  of  color  from  June  to 
November,  aiming  to  make  it  what  such  a  garden  should  ever  be,  a 
house  extension  with  verdure-canopied  seats  and  rose-screened  arbors, 
shaded  walks,  and  shrub-arched  gateways,  a  restful  contrast  to  the 
statued  and  fountained  Italian  sunken  gardens.  Two  monastic  grass 
paths,  closely  cut,  led  from  service  gate  to  side  door  and  to  the  well 
with  its  old-fashioned  sweep,  and  a  flat  stone  walk  such  as  in  Ischia, 
Capri,  and  Japan  satisfy  one's  craving  for  the  unconventional  and 
romantic,  connected  a  pergolad  arbor  with  the  house  and  lych  gate, 
over  which,  framed  by  virgin's  bower,  was  the  gladsome  greeting: 
"Through  this  wide  open  gate  none  come  too  early,  none  too  late." 
Yet,  while  irregular,  flat  stones  set  in  green  sod  are  attractive,  they 
are  a  bit  unsafe,  and  even  gravel  is  disagreeable  under  foot.  If 
appearance  must  be  sacrificed  to  utility,  town  asphalt,  though  heresy 
to  breathe  it,  has  more  comfort  to  the  square  inch.  Is  it  artistic 
solecism  that  leads  one  to  turn  from  the  safe  artificial  to  struggle,  slip 
and  fall  over  the  dangerous  picturesque? 


244  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

The  "boneyard"  of  a  terra  cotta  factory  was  found  a  good  place 
in  which  to  buy  ornaments  for  lawn  and  porch  room.  A  miniature 
temple,  a  stone  god,  a  bronze  dragon  from  Japan  and  a  sun  dial  from 
"Olde  England"  with  quaintly  phrased  and  oddly  spelled  motto  had 
appropriate  setting  'mid  shrubbery,  on  lawn,  and  in  the  plaisance  of 
the  garden. 

The  Maze. 

Remembering  an  exasperating  two  hours  spent  once  in  trying 
to  find  my  way  out  of  the  maze  at  Hampton  Court,  I  essayed  to 
drag  my  fellows  into  a  like  predicament  by  growing  a  maze  of 
California  privet  (Arbor  Vitse  would  have  required  far  less  pruning 
and  screened  it  all  the  year).  Planted  in  a  sheltered  spot,  the  privet 
maze  was  in  leaf  up  to  Christmas,  even  in  the  Berkshires.  A  belve- 
dere elevated  six  feet  allowed  the  conspirators  from  their  coign  of 
vantage  to  chaff  with  good  natured  raillery  the  lost  ones.  A  stiff 
wire  fence  centred  the  entire  hedge,  and  once  fairly  in  the  labyrinth 
one  mode  of  egress  was  to  reach  the  Ibis-centred  fountain  and  study 
the  map-of-escape  tooled  on  its  edge  or  depend  on  the  good  nature 
of  onlookers  to  direct  the  path  to  freedom. 

Horse  posts  were  placed  about  the  grounds  in  shady  spots  and 
fitted  with  swivel-elbow  knuckle  bar  and  chain  snap  fastening,  one 
protected  by  a  wooden  umbrella  canopy  bracketed  with  screened 
light.  Near  the  porch,  on  a  frost-proof  foundation,  was  set  a  stone 
mount  block. 

Moat  and  Drawbridge. 

In  the  Norman  stables  were  large  conning  tower  and  big  arch- 
way, approach  being  by  drawbridge  over  a  moat.  We  even  attempted 
a  portcullis  gate,  iron  pointed,  barred  and  bolted,  the  sort  that 
"grazed  Marmion's  plume,"  but  at  the  last  moment  it  was  recol- 
lected that  the  proverbially  careless  boy  might  loose  the  chain,  so 
critical  neighbors  were  spared  this  bit  of  vandalism.  Fortunately  nature 
had  already  formed  the  ditch  and  a  few  days'  labor  with  pick  and 
shovel  and  a  horse-dirt-scoop,  gave  us  the  only  moat  in  the  entire 
country-side,  drained  to  form  a  dry  grass-grown  hollow  instead  of  a 
mosquito  and  malaria  breeding  ditch.  The  timbered  bridge  which 
spanned  it,  built  from  the  staunch  oaken  girts  of  our  pre-revolu- 
tionary  barn  deliberately  wrecked  for  this  purpose,  was  realistically 
strengthened  by  heavy  bolts  and  rusty,  corroded,  clanking  chains,  found 
at  a  second-hand  chandlery  shop,  with  which  accessories  it  sometimes 
to  some  people  passed  muster  as  a  feudal  drawbridge. 

The  porte  cochere,  or  rather  marquise,  was  on  a  sheltered 
side  of  the  house,  avoiding  an  ice-blast  cavern,  disastrous  to  heated 
horse  and  shivering  coachman.  The  glass  roof  and  location  prevented 
it  from  unduly  shadowing  the  entrance  hall,  as  well  as  adjoining 
rooms. 


GARAGE  245 

An  artificial  pool  fed  by  springs  or  slowly  flowing  water  and 
without  the  stigma  of  a  swamp  lowland  gives  beauty  to  an  estate 
obtained  in  no  other  way,  especially  if  placed  near  enough  to  the 
dwelling  to  faithfully  mirror  its  outlines  from  "turret  to  foundation 
stone." 

Trout  Stream. 

The  trout  stream  that  in  arid  summers  aided  the  springs  that 
bottomed  Pinnacle's  forecourt  pool  to  keep  the  water  brim  high, 
threaded  a  sylvan  dell,  and  none  suspected  that  neither  frost  nor 
stream  placed  boulder  and  pebbled  bed  or  ate  into  the  jettied  cliff, 
but  that  with  malice  prepense  Jim,  John  and  Joe  created  with  dyna- 
mite and  pick  the  major  and  minor  artificial  rapids  and  waterfalls. 

Absent  Pennant. 

When  the  master  was  at  home,  "Old  Glory"  floated  in  the 
breeze  until  sunset,  and  when  away  a  flagless  pole  served  in  place  of 
the  absent  pennant  displayed  on  shipboard. 

Garage. 

The  garage  was  fireproof,  being  of  reinforced  cement,  with  tile 
roof  and  working  pit  in  the  floor.     It  was  large  enough  to  accom- 
modate several  cars,    with  entrance    wide  and  high,    ample  turning 
space  within,  and  fitted  with  a  turntable.* 
Skating  Rink. 

Running  the  cars  under  a  convenient  shed  and  temporarily  floor- 
ing over  the  pit  of  the  garage  made  on  occasion  after  a  thorough 
cleaning,  an  excellent  skating  rink.  Under  the  same  roof  were  also 
squash  court  and  chauffeurs'  quarters. 

The  Lost  Vista. 

Follow  the  carrier  pigeon  close  to  two  hundred  miles  as  he 
alights  on  an  evergreen  tree  forty  feet  high,  but  in  those  days  barely 
a  foot,  and  you  reach  the  HOME  of  my  "lotus  eating  days." 

I  bought  this,  my  first  place,  mainly  for  its  magnificent  view, 
located  as  it  is  on  one  of  the  highest  hills  of  Newton,  overlooking 
the  historic  Charles  River  and  the  towns  of  Waltham  and  Lexing- 
ton, Boston,  its  fine  harbor  and  the  blue  hills  of  Milton.  Today  the 
view  has  absolutely  disappeared ;  shut  off  completely  by  my  neighbors 
and  myself.  The  lesson — one  of  many  dearly  bought  experiences 
of  a  novice — is  never  to  buy  nor  build  on  the  wrong  side  of  the 
avenue,  the  side  on  which  neighborly  or  unneighborly  planting  or 
building  will  in  time  shut  out  both  breeze  and  view. 

Home  shows  comfort  in  porch  and  veranda,  as  well  as  within, 
where  there  are  rooms  of  generous  size  and  abundance  of  fireplaces. 

*The  use  of  the  turntable  solves  the  often  met  difficulty  of  a  garage  in  confined  quarters 
and  avoids  extra  road  making  for  turn-arounds. 


246 

rid 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THE  FIRST  STEP  IN  HOUSE  BUILDING. 


HOME 


247 


HOME. 

The  third  floor  contains  billiard,  tower  and  servants'  rooms,  while  the 
little  space  under  the  eaves  was  sacred  to  the  owner's  use.  It  is 
reached  by  light  weight  steps  hinged  sidewise  against  the  wall — a 
safer  way  of  economizing  on  a  makeshift  stair  than  the  weighted, 
ceiling-hung  ladder. 

It's  many  years  since  the  fowl  coop  landed  at  the  back  door  and 
a  novice  tried  his  hand  at  housing  its  contents.  The  hennery  was 
neither  square  nor  plumb,  but  the  pride  engendered  by  that  first 
effort  has  never  been  eclipsed.  This  success  gave  courage  to  make 
a  second  attempt  in  the  shape  of  the  little  stable  shown  in  the  photo- 
graph herewith.  These  were  the  earliest  symptoms  of  the  building 
mania  that  afterward  possessed  me. 

Hole-in-the-Ground  Greenhouse. 

In  these  days  a  hole-in-the-ground  greenhouse  represented  more 
real  enjoyment  to  the  square  inch  than  I  ever  derived  from  a  hand- 
some U-bar  conservatory. 

Seventy-five  dollars  for  some  old  hot-bed  sash,  boards,  and 
lumber  ends,  an  oil  stove  and  the  services  of  Jimmie  for  a  few  days 
gave  a  greenhouse  10  x  30  and  about  seven  feet  to  the  roof  centre. 
It  ended  against  the  south  side  of  a  six  foot  high  tight  board  fence 
and  was  so  built  that  the  plants  came  near  the  glass,  hence  abundant 
bloom,  while  a  neighbor's  elaborate,  high-studded,  steel-arched  con- 
servatory produced  mainly  leaves  or  spindling,  blooming  plants. 

Expensive  construction  was  avoided  by  selecting  a  dry,  gravelly 
southern  slope  and  digging  a  trench  thirty-five  feet  long,  three  feet 


248  BOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

deep  and  four  feet  wide,  which  finished  in  the  clear  two  feet  six 
inches  in  width.  A  stone  drain  was  covered  with  ashes,  over  which 
were  laid  planks,  the  sides  roughly  stoned  to  prevent  the  earth  from 
caving  in.  The  steep  incline  of  the  drain  solved  a  vital  question. 
Sills  hugged  the  ground  closely  and  rested  on  field  stone,  set  in 
cement  to  prevent  rotting.  The  3x6  hot-bed  sash  met  in  the  centre 
against  a  ridge  board,  thus  forming  a  low  roof,  while  every  other 
sash  was  hinged  at  the  top  for  ventilation.  The  solid  bed  of  earth 
each  side,  covered  a  few  inches  deep  with  rich  soil,  being  drained  by  the 
aid  of  loose  stones  six  inches  deep,  saved  all  bench  expense  and  brought 
plants  and  cuttings  near  the  glass.  The  ground  outside  was  mulched 
with  straw  and  weeds  a  few  feet  from  the  building  to  prevent  the 
earth  from  freezing.  In  the  fall  I  planted  closely  in  sand  at  least 
10,000  geranium  and  other  cuttings  taken  from  out  of  doors  just 
before  Jack  Frost  appeared.  In  early  spring  these  were  potted  off 
in  cold  frames  for  later  planting  out.  We  grew  violets,  pansies, 
pinks,  geraniums  and  some  bedding  plants  in  profusion,  keeping  them 
free  from  insects  and  mildew  by  burning  tobacco  stems  once  a  week, 
and  occasionally  sprinkling  flower  of  sulphur  about  the  greenhouse. 
A  rheumatism  breeder?  No!  not  to  us;  heat  was  an  excellent  deter- 
rent. Slipping  and  potting  plants  often  outrivaled  lecture  or  theatre. 

This  hole-in-the-ground  greenhouse  made  an  ideal  place  in  which 
to  start  seedlings  for  spring  planting,  as  none  ever  grew  spindling 
or  sidewise.  It  also  supplied  every  south  window  in  the  house  with 
blooming  plants.  Here  were  propagated  in  sand  beds  set  on 
slate  and  over  a  kerosene  heater  rare  evergreen  cuttings  by  the 
thousand.  The  extra  length  of  five  feet  in  the  trench  was  used  for 
steps  to  reach  the  walk,  and  as  an  entrance.  This  outdoor  five-foot 
space  had  a  hinged  cover  to  keep  out  snow  and  rain.  Properly  venti- 
lated, kerosene  stoves  were  used  successfully  for  heating  and  in 
extremely  cold  weather  the  sash  was  covered  with  light  weight 
straw  matting.*  If  I  repeated  this  experiment  the  trench  would  be 
finished  to  three  feet  and  four  feet  added  to  the  width  of  the  borders 
to  allow  ample  working  elbow  room.  Many  of  the  plants  were  set 
in  boxes  and  pots  as  well  as  in  the  ground.  The  growing  odors  of 
that  bloom-packed,  underground  flower  pit  made  fragrant  and 
brightened  and  lightened  many  an  overcast  day. 

The  10,000  cuttings  I  raised  every  year  took  comparatively 
small  space,  as  they  were  set  only  one  or  two  inches  apart  in  the  sand. 
They  alone  paid  the  cost  of  this  rough  and  ready  greenhouse  several 
times  over.  The  site  was  far  enough  removed  from  buildings  to 
eliminate  fire  hazard. 


*Inexpensive  small  heating  plants  are  made  today  that  would  do  the  job  very  thoroughly, 
and  a  large  glass  area  covering  this  underground  construction  scheme  could  be  heated  with 
comparatively  little  expense. 


HAMBURG  GRAPES  FOR  ALL  249 

Hamburg  Grapes  for  All. 

A  note  of  economy  was  also  struck  quite  successfully  in  the  field 
of  Hamburg  grape  growing,  using  the  same  hot-bed  sash  idea,  built 
in  chicken  coop  form,  resting  on  two  by  four  double  sills  close  to  the 
ground,  vine  roots  planted  in  a  regular  outside  border.  This  diminu- 
tive cold  grapery  measured  four  by  six.  The  vine  passed  under  the 
sash  and  carried  midway  between  peak  and  sill  the  length  of  the 
little  building,  while  sash  was  hinged  for  ventilation,  and  controlled 
by  a  short  chain  at  one  end  to  prevent  breakage ;  there  were  also 
alternate  two  by  six  inch  openings  between  the  two  sills.  Vine 
borders  in  each  house  were  planted  with  four  vines,  two  on  a  side, 
richly  made  of  two-thirds  decomposed  sod  and  one-third  rotted  manure, 
mixed  with  bones  and  sheep  heads  in  goodly  quantity.  Underlying 
this  eighteen  inch  deep  earth  border  a  drainage  bed  of  small  stones 
one  foot  deep  circumvented  that  great  retardant  of  the  grape 
— wet  feet.  We  had  Hamburg  grapes  as  fine  as  the  finest  grown 
in  the  more  expensive  houses,  well  repaying  the  time  spent  in  thinning 
out  the  bunches  and  the  grapes  in  each  bunch.  An  occasional  dust- 
ing with  flower  of  sulphur  kept  under  foot  the  industrious  and 
pernicious  mildew,  another  of  the  grape's  arch  enemies.  The  luscious 
Muscat  Hamburgs  and  enormous  bunches  of  Gros-Colemans  did  not 
mature  well  with  this  somewhat  crude  manner  of  grape  growing, 
so  we  kept  to  the  plain  Hamburgs  which  were  very  satisfactory. 

Just  as  our  little  graperies  reached  full  bearing,  suburban  life 
abruptly  ended,  to  be  repeated  again,  'cross  country,  in  Red  Towers. 
Years  later,  the  twin  manias  of  farming  and  house-building  seized 
us  as  with  a  grip  of  steel. 


:250 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


• ' : 


BUHGALOW   THB 
RE.5T  CLIFF 


BEMA'RICJV 
PIONEER    BUNGALOWING. 


BUNGALOWS  251 


CHAPTER  VII— BUNGALOWS. 

RESTCLIFF — PORTABLE  HOUSE — CLIFF  EYRIE — TINY  COTE — CRAGS 
— FAIRVIEW — TREE  TOP — HEARTSEASE — SEA  BOULDERS. 

THE  bungalow  of  today,  taking  its  name  from  far-off  Bengal,  is, 
with  the  addition  of  a  big  living  room,  porch,  and  wide  over- 
hang, the  one-story  cottage  of  one  hundred  odd  years  ago.     When  I 
had  the  bungalow  fever  it  was  an  unnamed  disease  in  our  section. 

Shack  Bungalow. 

Our  cheapest  bungalows  might  almost  be  called  roofed  verandas, 
so  open  to  air  and  sunlight  are  they.  Six  weeks  or  so  of  respite  from 
the  stilted  life  that  strains;  this  is  what  the  cheap  shack  bungalow 
stands  for.  No  cellar,  bunked  bedrooms,  roofed  back  porch  and 
kitchen — a  step  higher  than  damp,  dank,  floored  or  unfloored  tent 
life  or  even  canvas-walled  framed  shelters.  In  form  and  size  these 
outing  homes  are  as  varied  as  the  demands  of  the  owner  or  the  mood 
of  the  architect — if  there  happens  to  be  one. 

There  may  be  only  a  living  room  for  everything  but  sleeping  and 
cooking;  but  cooking  must  be  done  in  an  outside  galley,  if  it's  no 
more  than  a  lean-to  or  tent.  An  upstairs  loft  with  ventilating 
louvres,  a  wide  veranda,  the  lake  or  Sound  for  a  bath,  and  the  tree- 
swung,  screened-from-insect  hammock,  complete  the  essentials  for  this 
sort  of  outing.  I  have  even  built  some  bungalows  with  wide,  swing- 
ing barn  doors  hung  on  strongly  made  strap  hinges  and  for  greater 
convenience  hinged  in  the  middle  making  at  times  four  doors  as 
two  the  whole  width  of  the  living  room ;  the  wide  space  spanned  by 
a  big  G.  P.  timber,  which  fairly  approximates  living  in  the  open.* 

The  Obsolete  Parlor. 

It  was  difficult  to  persuade  the  thrift-driven  Yankee  to  give  up 
his  once-a-year-wedding  and  funeral-parlor,  commonize  the  black 
hair  cloth  sofa,  and  allow  daily  living  to  come  in  contact  with  shell- 
decorated  mantel  and  curio-filled  whatnot.  Quaintly  decorated  walls 
greeted  one  in  that  sacred  enclosure.  Framed  mosses  and  autumn 
leaves  there  were  and  black  silhouettes  paralleled  with  later  Daguerres 
of  those  who  had  gone  before,  and  samplers  worked  by  daughters  of 
the  house  at  the  age  of  wisdom — nine — but  the  piece  de  resistance 
was  the  wall  of  mortuary  memory  which,  like  the  Jew's  wailing 
place  among  the  foot  stones  of  Solomon's  Temple  at  Jerusalem,  fairly 

'•••A  Folloiv-the-Sun  Bungalow  was  one  never  tried  experiment.  As  planned,  it  was  a 
four-roomed  low  building,  a  staunch  turntable,  a  system  of  block  chocking  and  post  clamping 
giving  a  tornado-proof  grip  on  the  foundation.  Water  and  sewer  pipes  were  made  to  "hitch 
on"  at  fixed  points  with  rubber  connections.  Result — more  sun  or  shade,  as  desired,  and 
changing  views. 


252  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

reeked  with  sorrow.  Here  were  religiously  hung,  pictured  in  sub- 
dued gray  or  black,  both  weeping  willow  and  widow  bending  o'er 
the  tomb,  and  framed  in  glass  the  waxed  flowers  last  held  by 
the  hand  of  death. 

"Let  the  dead  past  bury  its  dead,"  and  let  the  parlor  of  that 
past  be  galvanized  into  a  real  living  room. 

The  bungalow  has  done  as  much  as  any  one  form  of  building 
toward  making  this  sensible  and  radical  change.  Even  a  modest  dwell- 
ing can  have  a  room  that  dwarfs  in  size  the  largest  in  many  a  so-called 
mansion.  In  such  a  house  there  is  no  waste  space  and  the  care  and 
cost  of  one  large  room  is  less  than  that  of  three  small  ones  of  equal 
area. 

The  bungalow  or  house  facing  both  mountain  and  water  always 
raises  the  question  as  to  where  and  how  to  arrange  a  rear  entrance 
and  still  keep  the  two  fronts  which  such  a  location  demands.  This 
can  be  accomplished  by  ornamental  stone  or  cement  work  in  step, 
post  and  wall  or  wooden  pergola  and  the  judicious  planting  of  tree, 
shrub,  vine  and  bedding  plants,  leaving  in-front  and  out-front  unin- 
jured and  suitably  screening  the  service  end. 

Essential  Plastered  Interior. 

In  any  bungalow  that  has  graduated  from  shackdom,  the 
necessary  freedom  from  vermin  and  noise,  exclusion  of  heat  or  cold 
and  an  opportunity  to  decorate  demand  the  small  additional  expense 
of  a  plastered  interior. 


RESTCLIFF. 

The  first  two  story  semi-bungalow  we  built  edged  the  Sound,  and 
was  fronted  by  the  storm-beaten  cliffs  shown  in  the  photographs. 
Restcliff  stood  six  feet  above  the  ground  on  the  south  and  three 
feet  on  the  north,  soil  being  first  well  scraped  from  the  cliff,  natural 
drainage  making  it  impossible  for  moisture  to  accumulate  under  it. 
Neither  shoes  nor  clothing  ever  gathered  mold.  Any  rock  crevices 


THE  FIRST  HOUSE  ON  THE  WATER  FRONT     253 

1SSO-/THE>  FIRST  HOUSE  OH  THE  WATER  FROTiT-SEPT.lSQO 


THAT  BIT  OF  MAINE  COAST  IN  CONN. 


254 

we  filled  with  rubble  cement.  On  the  first  story  twelve-inch  floor 
beams  were  used.  To  the  inner  side  of  each,  one  inch  from  bottom 
of  beams,  shingle  laths  were  nailed,  boards  cut,  fastened  crosswise, 
then  came  two  inches  of  rough  cement  grouting  lightened  with  ashes, 
and  tarred  paper  across  the  top  of  the  beams.  Diagonal  boarding 
was  next  nailed  V-shape  as  a  brace,  covered  with  felt,  and  finally  the 
finished,  selected,  grained,  planed,  and  sand-papered,  filled  and  waxed 
T  &  G  red  birch  floor  was  laid — a  floor  that  made  the  knees  of  the 
carpenters  ache,  but  joyed  the  beholder.  For  extra  warmth  and 
dryness  the  under  sides  of  floor  beams  could  have  been  papered,  then 
ceiled  and  whitewashed,  or  covered  with  cold  water  paint,  but  it 
would  have  been  an  unnecessary  expense,  and  done  at  the  possible 
risk  of  inviting  dry  rot. 

In  one  corner  under  the  kitchen,  we  blasted  out  and  cemented 
a  furnace  pit  and  vegetable  cellar.  This,  with  the  big  storeroom 
above  ground,  did  away  with  the  need  for  a  full  sized  cellar,  and 
supplies  were  more  easily  handled. 

Satisfactory  Guest  Rooms. 

The  second  story  of  Restcliff  belonged  to  our  guests,  and  was 
seldom  vacant.  There  were  two  suites  with  bath,  and  wide  bal- 
conies front  and  rear,  reached  by  a  covered  staircase  connecting  the 
lower  south  balcony  with  that  on  the  second  story.  Later  a  limb 
breaker  and  weather  shelterer  crawled  upward  against  the  interior 
wall  of  the  living  room.  An  eight  foot  ceiling  and  a  six  foot  space 
meant  winders  and  staggering  eight  and  a  half  inch  risers. 

The  Sanitary  Cellarless  House. 

When  properly  constructed,  I  believe  the  healthiest  and  driest 
house  is  that  which  is  cellarless,  and  the  healthiest  place  to  sleep  in 
our  climate  is  above  the  first  story,  hence  one  great  advantage  of  the 
two-story  bungalow.  The  attractive  low  effect  can  be  retained  by 
using  a  four  to  six  foot  overhang,  which  also  cools  the  side  walls, 
and  a  long  sloping  roof  pierced  with  eyebrow  windows.*  Lift  roof 
windows  are  more  picturesque,  less  aggressive  and  less  expensive 
than  the  usual  Gothic  dormer.  The  kick-up  rafter  roof,  as  it  is 
realistically  called,  plus  wide  overhang  and  broad  veranda  or  porch 
room  are  three  motifs  that  stamp  comfort  as  well  as  grace  in  the 
exterior  lines  of  a  bungalow  more  than  any  others.  In  a  twenty-five 
foot  rafter  the  curve  or  kick-up  must  be  at  least  six  to  ten  inches; 
a  two-inch  rise  is  scarcely  perceptible  as  I  learned  by  experience. 
The  quicker  decay  of  shingle  in  this  form  of  construction  is  over- 
balanced by  picturesque  effect.  I  built  a  kick-up  rafter  roof  twenty- 
five  years  ago  and  the  shingles  are  still  fairly  good.  If  desired,  it 
can  be  restricted  to  the  veranda  roof,  a  slight  saving  in  cost,  but 
giving  less  graceful  curves.  It  is  usually  inexpensively  made  by  a 

;':The  "eyebrow"  is  more  expensive  than  the  lift  but  on  some  roofs  more  appropriate. 


DIVERSE  DIVES  OF  DIVERS 


255' 


DIVERSE  O? 

DIVE'S  DIVERS 


A  FIFTY    TOOT    DIVE- 
ALL   OVERBOARD,   QUICK   AS   A   RANA! 


256  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


SKB'DOW  P7CTURT5  °-»-SAWD  BRR 


TWO  AliD  A  HALF 

YEARS 
THE  CEDAR  *VTHE  CHILD 


A  MIL*    CH>P  SHOBt 

ON    THE    SHORES    OF    TIME    AND   LONG    ISLAND    SOUND. 


257 

bit  of  scantling  sawed  to  pattern  at  the  mill  and  nailed  atop  the  regu- 
lar rafter. 

Ventilating  hood  windows  were  built  near  each  gable  apex,  one 
equipped  with  electric  fan,  used  with  chemical  batteries  in  the  absence 
of  power.  Ample  air  space  wras  also  left  above  the  rooms. 

Second  story  bedrooms  are  but  little  additional  expense,  as  no 
larger  roof  nor  foundation  is  needed,  only  a  trifle  higher  side  walls, 
more  partitions,  extra  floor  beams,  flooring,  stairs  and  a  few  doors  and 
windows — three  to  five  hundred  dollars  or  even  less  would  pay  for 
this  added  convenience  of  a  full  second  story  in  a  bungalow  of  mod- 
erate size. 

Death  Knell  of  the  Expensive  One  Story  Bungalow. 

Well-constructed  two-story  bungalows  are  far  more  habitable 
even  if  only  week-end  propositions.  The  time  has  arrived  when  an 
interior  with  less  of  the  camping  atmosphere  is  demanded.  The 
roomy  living  room  can  still  be  preserved,  also  the  broad  stair  and 
big  fireplace,  but  there  will  be  added  the  essential  vestibule  draught- 
stopper  or  entrance  hall,  so  that  domestic  routine  will  not  be  inter- 
fered v/ith  at  unseemly  hours;  bedrooms  will  be  larger,  and  the 
bungalow  plastered,  papered,  decorated,  heated  and  plumbed — in 
fact,  suitable  for  use  every  day  in  the  year  if  required.  The  death 
knell  of  the  expensive  one-story  bungalow  in  our  climate  has  sounded. 

We  built  bungalows  of  varied  sorts.  One  had  only  a  single 
room,  in  size  twenty-five  by  forty  feet,  with  walls  battered  outward 
two -feet  at  base,  as  in  windmill  construction;  the  resultant  extreme 
quaintness  if  not  extreme  beauty. 

Portable  House. 

A  portable  house?  Yes,  and  for  nine  years  it  had  but  two 
resting  places,  first  on  the  hill,  and  then  on  the  cliff  bordering  the 
Sound.  The  "tooth  of  time"  aided  by  one  or  two  young  tornadoes 
made  it  a  trifle  too  cool  for  comfort.  When  we  bought  our  portable 
house  it  was  an  infant  industry,  but  is  today  a  grown-up,  matured 
and  feasible  summer  cabin  proposition. 

CLIFF  EYRIE  or  the  LOG  CABIX,  as  it  was  more  frequently 
called,  was  built  directly  on  the  Sound,  and  exists  exactly  as  shown, 
both  cliffed  and  eyried,  heavily  studded,  beamed  and  diagonally 
boarded,  windows  made  to  fit  the  studs,  and  weighted  with  springs 
inset  in  studding  instead  of  the  regulation  weights.  Back  in  the 
woods  I  found  a  saw  mill,  and  rough  bark  slabs  mitred  at  the  corners 
gave  a  realistic  log  cabin  exterior.  But  a  log  interior  encourages 
vermin  and  dirt.  It  was  necessary  to  peel  off  the  bark  and  shellac 
a  cedar  staircase  rail,  a  hint  given  when  the  dust  made  by  the  wood 
borer  seriously  irritated  eyes  and  throat.  We  once  found  him 
doing  dire  damage  to  an  expensive  quarter-sawed  oak  wainscoting, 
the  filler  having  failed  to  ferret  out  his  hiding  places. 


258 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


CLIFF    EYRIE. 

CLIFF  EYRIE  was  open  in  the  centre  to  the  roof,  and  galleried 
and  bedroomed  on  two  stories;  had  ventilating  windows  high  under 
the  ridge;  bay  windows,  balconies,  and  many  a  touch  that  stands 
for  comfort  in  country  living. 

The  "Cave  canem"  belligerently  carved  by  a  jocose  visitor  on 
the  door  sill  was  obliterated  and  in  brass  headed  tacks  the  word 
"venitas"  welcomed  all  guests. 


! 


TINY   COTE. 


A  STONE  ARCH 


259 


THE  CRUELTY     OF  WIND  AMD    WAVE 


LIVE   AND   DEAD    WATERS. 


260  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

.   .  .-  .        CLIPP 


CAKE  TOE.B-  DAYS 


LOTUS   EATING   DAYS   FOR   LAD   AND   LADDIE. 


CARE  FREE  DAYS 


261 


The  Continental's  Cabin. 

Tiny  Cote  fitted  its  name,  for  it  was  really  the  tiniest  house 
I  ever  built.  While  tramping  back  in  the  hills  I  came  across  a 
settler's  cabin  that  antedated  the  Revolutionary  War.  It  was  on  a 
lonely  road,  but  no  architect  of  the  present  day  could  give  better 
proportion  to  roof  and  wall  line  than  the  Connecticut  Continental 
who  cut  the  logs  and  raised  the  roof-tree  of  this  little  cabin.  Pacing 
it,  the  measurements  quickly  went  into  my  memorandum  book,  and 
within  a  week  Tiny  Cote  was  well  under  way  on  the  shore  of  the 
Sound.  Two  rooms,  a  garret,  reached  by  a  wall  ladder,  a  stone  fire- 
place, and  a  veranda  inventoried  its  accommodations,  but  never  did 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  give  larger  returns.  Racked  nerves 
that  craved  the  simple  life  found  it  in  this  little  cabin.  The  dinghy's 
painter  was  tied  to  one  of  its  cedar  foundation  posts  and  there  was 
fairly  satisfactory  fishing  from  the  veranda,  on  the  incoming  tide. 


CRAGS. 

A  cosy  house  is  Crags,  perched  on  a  veritable  crag,  its  front 
half  hidden  in  the  shade  of  a  sprawling  cedar  large  enough  for  robins 
to  nest  in  when  the  Mayflower  entered  Plymouth  Harbor.  Through 
the  Dutch  door  we  enter  the  hospitable  living  room  which  adjoins 
the  library,  arranged  to  be  changed  to  a  bedroom,  if  desired,  as  it 
also  opens  to  the  veranda.  A  burnt  wood  panel  screened 
the  stair  grille  and  double  doors  closed  the  arched  opening  to  the 
living  room.  The  dining  room  with  fireplace  was  at  one  side  of 
the  living  room.  Stairs  have  barely  a  6^4  inch  rise  and  lead  to  a 
wTindowred  stair-landing  large  enough  for  a  grandfather's  clock.  Stair 


262  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THE.  BARE  CRACx  SIT& 


OFF  FOB    CAPE  Altn  IH  AM  HOUB 


INFRONT    AND    OUTFRONT    OF    CRAGS. 


HOUSE  MOVING  263 

CRAGS 


SITE  Of   SHORJt  CROCKS 


HEYDEY  DAYS. 


264  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


FROM  ARGOSY  TO    TARRMDJA 

at 


OUR. 
FIRST 

AMD 

LAST 
BOATS 


FROM    A    PENNY-A-LINER    TO    A    YACHT. 


SAILING  THE  DEEP  BLUE  SEA 


265 


OUR.  BOAT  TC£FERTOIR£.  —  SHEET   2 

TIGERS    OF     THREE     DEGREES. 


266 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


Hit 


OUR  BO AT 5 

-  SHEET  3  - 


THE  LAZE  OF  THE   SEA. 


THE  YEARLY  CRUISE 

THJ.  POCK -BIBBED  SHORt- 


267 


SUMMER 


BELIERICA  WINTER 

ICE  BOUND. 


268  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

''  "-:i?'&{,    '      -:"~"  •  ,       *;.'"'..  •- 


THE  LOG  CABIN  FROM  ALL  STANDPOINTS. 


THE  BOAT  WAYS 


269 


FILCHED  FROM  THE  PIONEER. 


270 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


rail  is  genuine  mahogany  and  over-mantel  decorated  with  a  plaster 
cast  framed  in  the  same.  An  outdoor  balcony  bedroom,  an  after- 
thought ventilating  lift-window  on  attic  stair  to  cool  the  servants' 
rooms  and  a  dry  cellar  blasted  from  an  almost  seamless  ledge,  barren 
of  water  courses,  made  a  most  complete  bungalow. 

The  best  all  round  little  semi-bungalow  that  I  ever  built  was 
Fairview,  with  its  eight  bedrooms,  bath  and  set  tubs.  The  dining- 
room  was  arranged  to  telescope  outward  when  required,  by  opening 
two  wide  plate  glass  doors  to  a  veranda,  whose  floor  was  brought  to 
the  dining  room  level  by  a  movable  platform.  In  addition  were 
living  room,  fair  sized  hall,  kitchen,  and  main  and  servants'  porches. 


FAIRVIEW. 

There  were  two  fireplaces,  and  ample  storage  room  in  attic  poke- 
holes  under  the  eaves. 

I  really  think  Fairview  in  plan  and  appointments  outdid  them 
all  for  the  cost.  The  interior  is  its  chief  charm,  as  disobedience  of 
orders  on  the  part  of  the  carpenter  resulted  in  the  omission  of  a 
wide  overhang  and  kick-up  rafter  which  were  exterior  essentials, 
lifting  it  above  the  stereotyped  cottage. 

Our  Nine  Hundred  Dollar  Bungalow. 

In  the  tree  tops  stood  Tree  Top.  It's  really  close  to  the  tops 
of  the  trees  whose  upper  branches  once  only  edged  the  veranda  rail. 
Today  they  tower  far  above  it.  Five  rooms  at  $180  each  make 
up  the  $900  that  this  little  house  cost,  with  cellar  blasted  from 
the  rock.  Plastered,  trimmed,  and  decorated,  it  only  needed  a  bath- 
room to  be  complete,  and  this  was  afterward  added  for  two  hundred 
dollars. 


DREW  FOUR  INCHES 


271 


A    MASTHEAD    VIEW    BELOW    AND    BEYOND. 


272  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


AT  THE  MOORIIi 


BECAT.HU1     88«*6BRS31 

THE  MAROONED   CLOTHES  REEL. 


STONE  HOUSE  I'S.  HEALTH 


273 


TREE   TOP.': 


Stone  House  Versus  Health. 

One  of  those  old  six-foot  duck  guns  of  our  forefathers  would 
about  carry  from  the  wide  veranda  of  "Crossways"  to  the  front  porch 


HEARTSEASE. 

of  "Heartsease,"  embowered  in  huge  chestnuts,  and  fronting  an  arm 
of  the  Sound — one  of  those  arms  that  look  best  when  the  tide  is  in, 
and  worst  when  it  is  out,  but  restfully  redeemed  when  dammed  and 
properly  water-gated  with  the  essential  and  sanitary  two  foot  rise 
and  fall.  No  prettier  sheet  of  water  ever  joyed  the  beholder  than 


274 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


that  which  fronted  our  .stone  bungalow,  Heartsease.  As  a  rule,  a 
stone  house  sheltered  by  trees  and  with  small  windows  means  damp- 
ness. We  avoided  these  conditions  as  far  as  possible  by  having  but 
one  story  of  stone.  The  second,  banded  with  timbered  stucco, 
gave  a  low  effect,  and  it  was  windowed  galore.  The  interior  was 
columned  and  alcoved,  settled  and  grilled,  second  floor  rooms  so 
arranged  as  to  corral  southwest  breezes  and  cooled  by  an  attic  with 
windows  facing  north,  south,  east  and  west.  A  well  lighted  basement 
was  secured  by  placing  the  house  on  a  side  hill. 


SEA  BOULDERS,  OUR  REAL,  SHORE  BUNGALOW. 

Some  years  later  we  succumbed  to  the  craze  for  a  modern 
bungalow  directly  on  the  shore  and  sturdy  workmen  began  to  build 
the  rocky  foundations  of  Sea  Boulders.  In  laying  water  pipe  for  one 
of  the  houses  a  quantity  of  golden-hued  rock  was  brought  to  the 
surface,  which,  mixed  with  the  brown  and  green  stones  that  skirted 
the  sound,  made  an  ideal  color  scheme  for  the  chimney  and  foundation 
walls  as  well  as  stalwart  quoins.  Sea  Boulders,  frequently  called  by 
indulgent  friends  the  "bungalow  ideal,"  was  built  directly  over  the 
sea,  down  to  sub-rock  and  iron-anchored  in  the  ledge.  The  waves  that 
at  times  dash  head  high  against  its  solid  walls  and  roll  under  its 
supporting  arches  can  never  move  nor  shatter  the  massive  stone  work. 
There  is  a  brass  yacht  rail  on  one  side  of  the  dock,  also  on  the  veranda, 
fitted  with  galvanized  iron  mesh  to  keep  children  or  grown-ups  from 
tumbling  off,  and  an  arrow  sawed  from  a  quarter  inch  brass  plate 
set  in  the  cement  floor  of  the  veranda  settles  definitely  the  usual  con- 


THE  MOTOR  CAVE 


275 


DETAILS  OF   THE  BUILDING  OF   SEA   BOULDERS. 


276  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


FREEDOM  OF  THE  WILD. 


THE  STOLEN  CLOSET  277 

troversy  among  both  salt  and   fresh  water  sailors  as  to   the  points 
of  compass. 

Capt.  Kidd's  Anchor. 

Under  the  veranda  in  a  water  cave  is  hidden  a  boat,  just  as  the 
pirates  used  to  hide  their  big  whale  boats  in  some  one  of  the  rocky 
clefts  that  edged  the  shore,  and  over  the  hills  is  one  of  the  late 
Captain  Kidd's  shore  lairs.  One  of  our  neighbors  fished  up  on  the 
end  of  a  grappling  iron  what  the  village  wiseacre  swore  was  Kidd's 
anchor,  slipped  by  him  to  escape  capture.  We  in  turn  captured 
the  anchor  and  set  it  up  at  one  end  of  the  rock  esplanade. 

Entering  the  bungalow  through  a  side-settled  outer  porch  one 
inventories  at  a  glance  its  most  striking  features.  The  big  oak  iron- 
strapped  and  grilled  door,  on  whose  stained  sea-green  glass  wicket 
window  is  inscribed  the  name  "Sea  Boulders,"  opens  to  a  short  and 
narrow  red-tiled  hall,  a  stop  draught  as  well  as  screen  for  the  big 
living  room,  which  is  twenty  by  forty-seven  feet,  its  size  increased 
by  an  outdoor  porch  dining  room,  connecting  with  it  by  four  large 
doors  aggregating  fifteen  feet  in  width,  hinged  in  two  sections  so  that 
on  occasion  they  can  be  swung  entirely  open,  forming  one  large  room, 
but  such  an  arrangement  is  a  rare  finger  pincher  unless  carefully 
handled.  The  centre  of  this  room  is  thus  made  thirty-five  feet  in 
width  against  its  full  length  of  forty-seven  feet.  Ventilation  is  aided 
by  electric  fans  set  against  outlets  which,  protected  by  baffle  boards, 
are  cut  in  each  gable  end  close  to  the  peak. 

The  Stolen  Closet. 

The  dilemma  of  how  to  closet  a  bedroom  without  decreasing  its 
area  or  injuring  the  symmetry  of  an  adjoining  room  was  solved  by  a 
full  sized  portiered  doorway  leading  from  a  bedroom  into  a  false 
front  six  foot  high  cabinet  firmly  fastened  against  the  separating  wall 
of  the  larger  room.  The  interior  of  the  closet  thus  filched  from  it 
is  lathed  and  plastered. 

The  inglenook  end  of  the  living  room  is  fifteen  by  twenty  feet, 
and  has  red  quarry  tile  floor  and  a  wide  stone  fireplace,  at  each  side 
of  which  are  big  settles,  placed  under  windows  of  copper-set  stained 
glass,  which  stands  wear  much  better  in  a  swinging  casement  than 
if  set  in  lead.  The  trammels  hanging  from  the  crane  in  the  large 
fireplace  have  seen  service  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  years,  while 
the  grandfather's  clock  in  the  near  by  inglenook  has  ticked  in  and 
out  the  lives  of  four  generations.  In  the  fireplace  arch  are  three 
pendant  iron  rings  for  handling  heavy  logs.  Ship-kneed  brackets 
support  the  carrying  beam  fronting  the  inglenook  and  there  are  wide 
settles  in  the  leaded  bay  window  on  the  east. 

In  the  centre  of  the  living  room  is  a  flower-bordered  electric 
fountain. 


278  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

SEA  BOULDERS  SOUTH  WEST  FROWT 


ITIGLEfiOOK  SHIP  KMEED  BRACKETS 

THE    BUNGALOW    IDEAL. 


SEA  BOULDERS 


THE  "PIFTEEW  TOOT  "DOOKWAY 


279 


I  III 

I  1111 
•  lilt 


CL-TFF  EYRIE- 


THB  MOTOR-BOAT  CAVE  UNDER  THE  VERANDA. 


280  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THE  WVTHEKIM&  AUD  GATHERED  STORM 


TROZBM  WAVES 
SITTING    ON    THE    RIBS    OF    WRECK. 


BACK  PLASTERING  281 

On  this  floor  are  three  bedrooms  each  with  set  basin,  beside  two 
toilets  and  bath,  laundry,  servants'  room  and  a  kitchen,  while  below 
stairs  are  coal  and  furnace  room,  cold  storage  closet,  bath  houses, 
another  toilet,  and  boat  lockers.  From  the  laundry  private  steps 
lead  to  a  separate  bathing  beach  for  the  servants.  The  three  upstairs 
bedrooms  all  have  special  features.  Copper-set  stained  glass  case- 
ments made  of  bulls'  eyes  in  an  antique  design  swing  into  the  large 
corridor,  and  in  one  room  there  is  a  stained  glass  window  in  the 
centre  of  the  outside  stone  chimney,  care  being  taken  so  to  construct 
the  two  flues  that  the  draughts  will  not  be  affected.  At  either  side 
of  the  chimney  is  an  outside  balcony,  and  each  bedroom  has  its  own 
set  basin  with  hot  and  cold  water. 

Trunk  room  on  the  north  includes  the  generally  unused  space 
over  the  veranda — the  tie  floor  beams  of  which  are  of  nine  inch 
timber — and  is  lighted  both  by  hall  and  exterior  windows  set  with 
translucent  leaded  lights.  It  is  also  conveniently  reached  by  a 
securely  locked  trap  door  in  the  veranda  ceiling. 

Over  the  well,  high  under  the  roof,  are  heavy  cambered  beams. 

Electric  lighting  is  unique  in  several  ways.  On  the  under  side 
of  the  ridge  is  fastened  a  heavy  rusty  iron  anchor  chain  from  which 
we  suspended  an  electrolier  built  from  swords  and  bayonets.  Side 
brackets  in  inglenook  are  electrically-tipped  stag  horns,  while  at  the 
four  corners  of  the  well  opening  on  second  story  are  tapering  square 
edged  posts  six  feet  high,  capped  with  plaster  heads  crowned  with 
electric  lights.  At  the  four  lower  corners,  close  to  the  living  room 
ceiling,  project  gargoyles,  copies  of  those  at  Notre  Dame,  from  whose 
mouths  hang  antique  Paul  Revere  lanterns,  modernized  by  electricity. 
A  startling  effect  is  produced  by  the  shafts  of  light  piercing  their 
pin  holes. 

Under  the  glass  hood  over  the  kitchen  range  is  an  extra  flue, 
within  which  an  electric  fan  at  the  pressure  of  a  button  draws  up 
chimney  all  odors.  To  economize  floor  space  the  boiler  is  stoutly 
hung  from  the  ceiling  above  the  range. 

Back  Plastering. 

Construction  of  Sea  Boulders  is  most  thorough,  and  it  is  an  all- 
the-year  house.  Stone  work  is  laid  in  cement,  and  all  wooden  exterior 
walls  covered  with  galvanized  iron  lath,  with  three  coat  work  of 
stucco,  the  last  coat  pebble-dashed.  The  entire  house  is  back  plastered 
on  wire  lath.  All  floors  are  deadened  with  air  spaces,  using  a  mix- 
ture of  cement,  coal  ashes,  and  sawdust — lighter  and  better  than 
plain  cement  for  this  purpose — and  two  thicknesses  of  tarred  paper. 
The  upper  of  the  two  floors  on  both  stories  is  of  hard  wood,  house 
trimmed  throughout  with  selected  red  birch,  and  lower  floor  trim 
stained  a  rich,  dark  mahogany,  except  bedrooms  and  kitchen,  which 


_282  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

are  enameled  in  cream  white  and  coated  with  spar  varnish,  hard 
wood  with  the  close  grain  of  birch  making  a  smoother  finish  for 
enameling  than  softer  woods. 

All  rooms  are  plastered  in  wood  pulp  except  halls,  bathrooms, 
laundry,  kitchen,  servants'  rooms,  and  closets,    and    have    no    base- 
boards to  harbor  insects,  but  are  wire  lathed  and  cemented  on  floor 
.  and    side    walls,    forming    a   sanitary    base.      Bedrooms    and    living 
rooms  are  papered. 

Salt  Water  Bathroom. 

One  bathroom  has  separate  piping  for  salt  water  and  pump  with 
pipe  connection  to  deep  water.  Strainer  is  of  galvanized  iron  instead 
of  copper,  which  is  injured  by  salt  water.  There  is  also  a  bathroom 
on  the  second  floor. 

A  standpipe  for  fire  hose  and  another  for  vacuum  cleaning  have 
two  connections  on  each  floor,  both  protected  in  glass  fronted  alcoves. 

Plumbing  is  open,  and  hardware  and  electric  fixtures  in  bath- 
room are  nickel  plated. 

Outdoor  Shower. 

The  outside  hot  and  cold  water  showers  are  set  over  a  cement 
base,  and  shut-offs  connect  with  bath  houses. 

A  Lobster  Tank. 

A  water-tight  fish  tank  six  feet  deep  with  water-gate  insures  a 
supply  of  fresh  shell  and  scale  fish  at  all  times.  It  is  immersed  two 
feet  at  high  tide,  and  its  inmates  imprisoned  by  a  galvanized  iron 
mesh  screen  with  hinged  door. 

The  Yacht  Studio. 

Near  Sea  Boulders  a  friend  warped  to  the  edge  of  the  lawn  a 
condemned  yacht. 

Old  Canal  Boat  Shack. 

His  next  door  neighbor  beached  an  old  canal  boat,  bought  for 
a  song,  and  these  boats  with  a  bit  of  fitting  up  made  ideal  dens  on 
the  water's  edge.  Many  a  magnificent  mahogany  brass-trimmed 
yacht  can  be  picked  up  for  a  tithe  of  its  cost,  making  a  charming 
studio  or  even  a  summer  home,  a  house  boat  on  land,  but  a  healthy 
location  away  from  polluted  waters  is  an  essential. 

The  bottoms  of  these  two  boats  received  at  least  six  coats  of 
tar  and  rough  boulders  were  piled  against  their  sides  to  lower  the 
height  while  vines  and  shrubs  planted  between  stones  embowered 
the  windows. 

They  reminded  me  of  ten  year  old  days,  when  a  yawl-rigged, 
flat  bottom  boat,  with  real  cabin  and  cooking  galley,  and  mast,  sail, 
,  and  rudder,  was  built  in  the  centre  of  the  lawn  by  a  happy-go-lucky 
...-little  lad. 


A  YACHT  STUDIO 


283 


SWIRL  AND  CALM. 


284  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

This  dry  land  boat  gave  glorious  fun  for  several  summers  to 
all  surrounding  kiddom  in  the  glamored  hours  of  childhood,  when 
our  kites,  sleds,  and  ponies  are  the  "bestest"  kites,  sleds,  and  ponies, 
and  grown-ups  to  this  day  talk  of  the  children's  white-winged  lawn 
yacht. 


STILL  AND  QUICK  LIFE 


285 


STIRRING  THE  WATERS. 


286 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


THE   HARBOR  WATCH-DOG. 


HOW  TO  BUILD  2ST 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

How  TO  BUILD  AND  KEEP  WITHIN  THE  LIMIT  DECIDED 
A  LIVABLE  HOUSE  FOR  FROM  $2,500  TO  $12,000. 
A  MANSION  UP  TO  $100,000. 

"When  we  mean  to  build 

We  first  survey  the  plot,  then  draw  the  model; 
And  when  we  see  the  figure  of  the  house 

Then  must  we  rate  the  cost  of  the  erection, 
Which,  if  we  find  outweighs  ability, 

What  do  we  then  but  draw  anew  the  model 
In  fewer  offices,  or  at  least  desist 
To  build  at  all." 

—Henry  the  Fourth,  Part  II,  Act  1 ;  Scene  3. 

Building  Hints  to  the  Amateur. 

Living  is  serious  business  and  the  advice  "look  before  you  leap," 
particularly  applicable  to  the  would-be  builder,  for  if  an  amateur 
gets  into  the  toils  of  dishonest  people  and  cannot  furnish  the  where- 
withal to  dig  out  of  his  difficulties,  he  is  liable  to  heartache,  cankering 
worry,  and  even  bankruptcy.  But  the  landing  can  always  be  safely 
made  if  certain  copper  fastened  rules  are  observed. 

I've  known  scores  of  men  who  have  sunk  all  their  money,  and 
some  few  have  lost  reason  and  even  life  by  not  counting  the  expense 
of  the  new  house.  Using  these  instances  as  warning  beacons  and 
reef-buoys,  first  carefully  figure  the  cost,  plan  for  payments  through 
cash  on  hand,  if  possible;  if  not,  raise  money  on  long  term  or  bank 
mortgages,  at  low  rates  of  interest,  and  then  make  the  plunge  but 
only  when  the  "if  and  the  "but"  have  been  carefully  thought  out, 
ever  remembering  that  the  lure  of  country  living  is  an  insidious 
siren  requiring  constant  watching. 

The  temptation  to  outdo  one's  neighbors  in  acquiring  additional 
acres,  embellishing  grounds,  purchasing  live  stock,  utensils,  and 
vehicles,  and  giving  unbridled  rein  to  the  fascinating  pursuits  under- 
lying the  making  of  a  country  place  ever  waits  to  undermine  and 
destroy.  Financial  stakes  should  be  set  at  the  start,  and  only 
loosened,  relocated,  and  redriven  when  amply  assured  invested  income 
keeps  step  with  prodigal  outlay.  Many  a  man  has  sown  the  tares  of 
imprudent  and  lavish  expenditure  with  his  choicest  flowers,  and 
reaped  disaster,  if  not  premature  death,  his  life  work  blasted  by  that 
phase  of  misguided  ambition  immortalized  in  the  line  "By  that  sin 
fell  the  angels."  Take  nothing  for  granted,  especially  in  purchasing 
land ;  a  good  lawyer  or  a  title  guarantee  policy  are  essentials. 


288  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

Throttling  the  Four  Building  Dragons. 

Four  dragons  that  often  bar  the  way  of  the  amateur  are 
( 1 ) ignorance,  (2)  impecuniosity,  (3)  duplicity,  and  (4)  avarice; 
but  forewarned  is  forearmed,  and  they  are  easily  recognized  and 
vanquished,  however  disguised  by  fair  words,  a  bold  front  and  specious 
promises.  Eliminate  these,  and  the  path  that  leads  from  the  lifting  of 
the  first  shovel  of  earth  to  pulling  the  latch-string  is  one  of  delight. 
A  few  disappointments  are  to  be  expected,  but  they  are  slight  com- 
pared with  the  pleasure  of  creating  a  sensible  and  livable  dwelling. 

How  to  Build. 

A  house  to  cost  from  $2,500  to  $12,000  should  be  let  under  the 
usual  contract  form,  unless  one  prefers  to  follow  the  special  contract 
system  advised  for  the  building  of  a  mansion  or  it  can  be  let  on  a 
strictly  percentage  basis.  Close  competition  will  pound  the  price  to 
a  ten  or  fifteen  per  cent,  profit  to  the  contractor,  which  is  little 
enough  for  assuming  the  monetary  responsibility  in  addition  to  an 
employers'  accident  risk,  but  the  owner  must  make  sure  that  he  is 
not  made  personally  liable  by  letter  or  act  for  costly  delays  and 
extra  expenses  entailed  in  the  process  of  building.  Indeed,  his 
peace  of  mind  usually  hinges  upon  the  carrying  out  to  the  letter  of 
the  four  following  rules: 

1.  Never  give  out  a  building  contract  without  a  bond 
for  its  completion,  and  within  a  specified  time,  bona  fide 
strikes,  unavoidable    cyclones,  floods,    fire  and    earthquakes 
excepted. 

2.  It  is  an  excellent  incentive  to  the  contractors  for 
the  owner  to  promise  a  bonus  on  completion  of  their  several 
contracts  within  or  ahead  of  schedule  time  if  satisfied  with 
the  result,  or  better  still,  a  specified  bonus  as  an  offset  to 
a   time-forfeiture-of-money  clause   which   to   be   legal   must 
take  the  form  of  damage  loss.    The  contract  should  stipulate 
that  a  certain  number  of  men  are  to  be  kept  at  work,  and 
at  each  Saturday  payment  the  owner  should  hold  back  ten 
or  fifteen  per  cent,  of  both  labor  and  material  bills  until  the 
work  is  completed. 

3.  Never  change  the  accepted  plans  and  specifications 
except  in  writing,  having  such  changes  immediately  ratified 
in  writing  by  the  contractor.     Minor  changes  often  entail 
major.      It    will    be    mutually    far    more    satisfactory,    and 
save  quibbling,  if  not  a  quarrel,  later  to  settle  the  amount 
of  the  extra  cost  over  signature  if  that  is  possible  at  the  time 
changes  are  decided  upon. 

4.  Payments  for  work  done  and  material  purchased 
must  be  handled  with  business  acumen ;  carelessness  in  this 
respect    may    result    in    the    owner    being    obliged    to    pay 
the  same  bill  for  labor  and  material  twice. 


BUILDING  DILEMMAS  289 

The  mechanics'  and  supply  material  lien  and  building 
laws,  also  the  tax  rate,  in  the  State  in  which  one  is  building 
are  important  documents  to  study  before  commencing  opera- 
tions. 

Legal  rights  must  be  clearly  defined  between  owner,  architect, 
and  contractor,  the  contract  should  also  give  the  owner  the  right  to 
change  men  or  materials  if  either  prove  different  from  the  agree- 
ment, and  to  make  alterations  in  design  or  construction,  always  pro- 
vided it  is  done  and  accepted  in  writing  and  the  cost  approximately 
adjusted.  A  builder  must  not  be  given  the  slightest  opportunity  to 
say  a  thing  is  according  to  plan  when  it  is  self-evident  that  a  mistake 
has  been  made  and  plans  must  be  accurately  drawn  to  meet  these 
aggravating  contingencies. 

Irresponsible  Contractors. 

Within  the  ranks  of  artisans  are  to  be  found  bidders  (I  am  glad 
to  say  they  are  few)  who  will  submit  phenomenally  low  figures — 
much  below  the  sum  for  which  the  work  can  be  thoroughly  done. 
If  the  contract  is  given  to  any  of  these,  there  are  ten  chances  to  one 
that  one  or  all  of  the  four  dragons,  ignorance,  impecuniosity,  dupli- 
city and  avarice  will  give  you  the  fight  of  your  life  before  you  have 
use  for  the  latch  key.  After  these  contractors  have  drawn  the  last 
cent  on  an  architect's  certificate,  to  speak  in  building  parlance,  their 
modus  operandi  is  to  "lie  down  on  the  job,"  throw  up  their  hands, 
and  cry  poverty.  The  amateur  has  then  reached  a  stage  in  his  opera- 
tions that  ordinary  common  sense,  if  given  half  a  chance,  would 
have  warned  him  against  in  the  beginning.  I  hear  the  echo  of  the 
cry.  At  this  point  the  complicated  situation  beggars  description. 
The  weak-kneed  and  practically  dishonest  contractor  frequently  relies 
on  being  hired  by  the  day  to  finish  the  job,  cannily  figuring  that  as 
he  knows  more  about  it  than  a  new  man,  he  stands  a  better  chance 
to  continue  the  work.  As  a  rule,  it  is  far  more  satisfactory  to  get 
rid  of  such  poor  timber.  "Small  choice  in  rotten  apples."  It  is 
surprising  how  such  a  contractor  to  save  a  feiv  dollars  wrill  injure 
a  fine  house  thousands  by  leaving  loopholes  for  moisture  at  window, 
door,  and  eave  opening,  skimping  in  paper  and  felt  linings,  allowing 
insecure  nailing  and  scant  bracing,  covering  up  shaky  and  soggy 
lumber,  and  using  green  instead  of  kiln-dried  wood.  The  owner 
often  makes  a  close  second  by  employing  a  makeshift  architect  or 
none  at  all  and  cutting  corners  by  using  cheap  labor  and  material, 
thus  wasting  both  time  and  lumber. 

Building  Dilemmas. 

And  now  let  us  look  at  the  other  horn  of  the  dilemma.  There 
are  responsible  and  reputable  builders  who  will  sign  a  contract  at  a 
higher  price  and  will  certainly  finish  the  house,  but  when?  At  the 
hour  of  signing,  the  contractor,  we  will  say,  has  but  little  work 
ahead,  and  his  promises  as  to  time  are  emphatic  and  specific.  In 


290  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

fancy,  through  his  wonderful  mirage  language,  even  before  the  cellar 
is  dug  you  are  seated  on  the  lawn  gazing  at  a  completed  dwelling 
four  months  to  an  hour  from  the  day  of  signing  the  contract.  Poor 
unsophisticated  humanity!  If  your  house  is  at  all  pretentious  you'll 
be  fortunate  if  it  is  not  an  even  six  months  before  you  enter  your 
home,  if  the  builder  should  be  rushed  with  work,  and  especially  if 
cautions  numbers  two  and  three  have  been  omitted  in  the  contract, 
and  there  is  no  time  forfeiture  working  against  him.  It's  human 
nature  to  take  every  job  in  sight  if  there  is  neither  bonus  nor  time 
limit  staring  the  contractor  in  the  face,  or  if  he  has  given  only  a 
verbal  promise,  he  will  handle  his  men  like  a  pendulum,  if  he  has 
several  jobs,  swinging  them  from  one  to  the  other,  and  will  pos- 
sibly become  badly  mixed  in  his  "time  data"  for  finishing  your  house. 
A  threatened  spell  of  rainy  weather  will  dwindle  your  beehive  full 
of  workers  on  a  Saturday  pay-day  to  a  couple  of  lonely  carpenters 
on  Monday  morning,  their  occasional  hammer  taps  a  travesty  on  real 
work,  compared  with  Saturday's  progressive  din.  You  take  an 
expensive  half-day  from  business  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  this  sudden 
cessation  of  activity,  and  finally  locate  your  gang  laying  sills  and 
setting  up  the  studding  of  a  new  house  two  or  three  miles  away. 
Your  Saturday  payment  has  been  used  to  start  another  job. 

Excuses  of  Contractors. 

Then  comes  the  list  of  excuses,  which  I  know  by  heart;  some 
are  certainly  plausible  and  at  first  sight  appear  unanswerable:  "The 
Georgia  pine  beams  are  short  ten  sticks,  and  it  is  unsafe  to  build 
higher  until  they  are  in  place."  "The  sash  came  the  wrong  size." 
"The  soft  mud  brick  delivered  is  not  hard  enough  for  the  chim- 
neys." "Sand  that  should  have  been  on  the  job  for  the  masons  was 
on  a  barge  that  ran  on  the  flats  and  cannot  be  floated  until  the  next 
perigee  tide,  which  will  be  weeks  off.  In  the  meantime,  while  wait- 
ing for  sand,  the  masons  began  a  rush  cellar  job  to  last  but  three 
or  four  days,"  which  is  a  disguised  way  of  saying  two  weeks,  and 
so  on  through  an  extended  list.  All  good  excuses,  but  excuses  don't 
build  your  house,  and  you  wish  to  be  in  it  in  August,  not  December. 
The  non-arrival  of  two  loads  of  sand  at  a  critical  time  when  I  was 
away  for  three  days  made  four  months'  difference  in  date  of  occu- 
pancy; everything  froze  solid,  and  it  seemed  unwise  to  start  timber- 
ing until  the  stone  work  was  in  place.  Stone  or  brick  laid  in  frosty 
weather  may  be  unsatisfactory,  although  a  neighbor  built  a  brick 
chimney  one  hundred  feet  high,  years  ago,  with  the  thermometer 
close  to  zero,  and  it  still  stands. 

Forfeit  vs.  Bonus. 

But  are  these  discouraging  and  annoying  conditions  surmount- 
able? Certainly,  if  you  have  inserted  clauses  one,  two,  and  three  in 
your  contract.  If  the  honest  contractor  was  confronted  by  a  fat  for- 
feit, or  saw  within  his  grasp,  when  the  house  was  finished,  a  bonus, 


BUILDING  OF  A  MANSION  291 

conditions  would  be  radically  different,  and  by  August  first  you'd  be 
in  a  wringing  perspiration  running  a  lawn  mowrer  and  swinging  in 
hammocks  on  porch  room  and  balcony  to  your  heart's  content.  Even 
if  the  sand  lighter  was  on  the  mud  flats  the  contents  of  another 
would  be  piled  on  your  ground.  Those  Georgia  pine  beams  and 
hard  brick  would  be  in  place,  and  the  other  fellow  waiting.  Build- 
ing, instead  of  being  a  continual  rasping  menace,  and  an  Iliad  of  woes, 
wondering  what  exasperating  set-back  would  come  next,  would  be  a 
joy.  From  properly  built  and  legitimately  greased  ways  is  easily 
launched  the  most  ponderous  super-dreadnought. 

But  assuming  that  cautions  two  and  three  were  omitted  from 
the  contract,  you  may  find  the  contractor  considerably  in  your  debt 
before  the  chaotic  state  above  described  has  become  chronic.  At  this 
stage  you  are  practically  powerless,  and  are  in  his  hands,  so  far  as 
time  of  completion  is  concerned.  You  cannot  discharge  the  few  ordi- 
nary workmen  he  has  left  and  substitute  a  larger  and  more  capable 
force;  this  would  be  considered  uncalled-for  interference  and  break 
the  contract,  and  his  over-draft  in  a  measure  places  you  in  his  power. 
The  dilemma  is  most  exasperating,  yet  in  the  midst  of  it  all  the 
builder  airs  his  trials  with  workmen  and  material  supply  men  so 
eloquently  that,  ten  chances  to  one,  in  a  weak  moment  you  in  a 
measure  commiserate  him  in  his  jeremiads  and  possibly  commit  the 
farther  folly  of  allowing  him  to  still  draw  ahead  of  his  just  dues. 
It  is  true,  your  house  is  weeks,  perhaps  months,  behind  schedule  time 
for  finishing,  but  you  can  only  worry,  fume,  and  pay  the  bills,  deriv- 
ing meagre  satisfaction  by  swearing  that  if  ever  this  house  is  finished 
you  will  never  build  another,  and  perchance  wearing  out  the  patience 
of  friends  and  neighbors  by  the  recital  of  your  woes,  whereas  a  con- 
tract drawn  along  the  lines  stated  would  have  placed  you  among  the 
optimists  in  building. 

The  Building  of  a  Mansion. 

If  the  building  of  the  $2,500  to  $12,000  house  appears  intri- 
cate, that  of  the  $50,000  or  $100,000  mansion  seems  more  so,  though 
it  is  not  in  reality.  Thorough  consideration  of  and  preparation  as  to 
the  following  four  distinct  points  are  the  essentials  for  complete 
success : 

1.  Location. 

2.  Plan. 

3.  Material. 

4.  Method  of  building. 

To  build  satisfactorily  a  house  of  this  size,  no  matter  how  much 
care  has  been  taken  in  preparation  of  the  plans,  is  practically  impos- 
sible without  minor,  and  sometimes  radical  and  more  or  less  expensive 
changes,  but  if  built  along  the  lines  indicated  these  changes  will  cost 
less  than  if  the  one  contract  system  had  been  adopted.  Changes 
under  a  one  contract  system,  unless  very  carefully  guarded,  lead  to 


292  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

complications  and  extra  expense  that  will  sometimes  double  the  cost 
and  the  builder  is  not  always  entirely  to  blame,  for,  unless  carefully 
watched,  the  work  gets  beyond  the  least  expensive  change  point.     In 
the  realm  of  extras  lie  aggravating  experiences. 
As  to  labor: 

1.  Dirt   or   stone   costs   so   much   per  cubic   yard   to 
excavate. 

2.  Stone  foundation  costs  so  much  per  cubic  foot  in  a 
wall. 

3.  Stone,  brick  and  terra  cotta  blocks  cost  so  much 
per  cubic  foot  in  place. 

4.  Plastering  on  wooden  or  wire  lathing  costs  so  much 
per  square  yard  on  the  walls. 

5.  Tile,  shingle,  slate,  copper  and  tin  cost  so  much 
per  square  in  place,  and  flashing  can  be  combined  with  the 
plumbing  contracts. 

6.  Plumbing  and  heating  can  be  let  in  one  contract, 
and  totaled  to  a  dollar. 

7.  Electric  lighting,   ditto. 

It's  simply  a  question  of  mathematics.  The  foregoing  seven 
items  can  be  figured  accurately  and  a  number  of  responsible  bidders 
found  who  will  make  a  fair  living  profit  and  yet  give  you  an  excel- 
lent piece  of  work.  Add  to  the  above  items  the  following: 

Carpenter's  labor  contract  to  plastering  line,  including 
careful  cutting  for  the  plumber  and  steam  fitter. 

Carpenter's  labor  contract  from  plastering  to  complete 
finishing  of  exterior  and  interior. 

Painter's  contract,  including  floor  treatment. 

Architect's  fee. 

Manager's  salary,  preferably  for  a  year,  privilege 
reserved  by  both  owner  and  manager  of  canceling  the  con- 
tract any  Saturday  night — an  essential  legal  form,  as  a  con- 
tract with  an  irresponsible  employee  is  always  one-sided  and 
in  substance  really  only  holds  the  employer. 

Material  of  every  kind  should  be  figured  with  great 
accuracy.  Have  your  architect,  manager  and  a  practical 
builder  figure  the  list  separately;  in  this  way  you  can  ferret 
out  errors  that  with  the  greatest  care  are  bound  to  occur. 
Material  men  will  compete  to  supply  you  and  much  can  be 
bought  in  carload  lots,  saving  the  price  of  an  extra  haul. 

Allow  liberally  for  freight,  express,  cartage  and  even 
interest  charges. 

Figure  water  supply,  sewage,  grading,  planting,  and 
general  landscaping. 

Insurance. 

Insurance — fire,  glass,  and  employers'  liability — is  also 
especially  important. 


BUILDING  INSPECTION  293 

To  save  all  chance  of  a  disappointing  result,  add  from 
ten  to  fifteen  per  cent,  for  possible  changes,  and  you  will 
know  quite  definitely  the  maximum  cost  of  your  house  under 
any  ordinary  conditions  that  may  arise. 

Building  Inspection. 

An  absolute  essential  if  the  above  system  is  adopted  is  to  hire  an 
honest,  competent  man,  not  necessarily  physically  able  to  work,  to 
whom  you  will  pay,  say  three  to  five  dollars  a  day  to  be  on  the  job 
every  hour  of  each  working  day,  but  for  reasons  stated  hired  by  the 
wreek.  It  will  be  his  business  to  see  that  your  orders  are  carried 
out,  that  every  scrap  of  material  is  on  the  ground  ahead  of  time,  to 
check  bills  and  keep  a  list  of  men  at  work  in  each  department,  and 
to  aid  in  weeding  out  the  sluggards,  who  have  a  bad  effect  on  all 
other  workers. 

I  beg  of  you,  do  not  get  enmeshed  in  the  friendship  net.  Avoid 
the  well-meaning  man  who  says  he  knows  all  about  building,  and 
will  enjoy  looking  after  the  construction  of  your  house  without  a 
cent  of  remuneration.  He  is  too  close  a  friend  either  to  be  offered 
pay  or  to  be  criticized  for  his  judgment  and  methods.  I  went  through 
that  mill  once  at  quite  a  cost,  and  know  some  half  dozen  other 
unfortunates.  In  each  case,  it  proved  a  lamentable  failure  on  both 
sides. 

Hire  some  one  to  dog  the  job  whom  you  can  discharge  Satur- 
day night  if  unsatisfactory,  and  talk  to  like  a  Dutch  uncle  all  the 
week,  if  the  case  requires.  You  are  to  live  in  the  house  and  you 
pay  the  bills. 

The  man  for  you  should  be  a  practical  builder  who  can  tell  "a 
hawk  from  a  handsaw,"  has  had  wide  experience,  is  quick  to  note 
the  value  of  important  changes,  and  advise  the  least  expensive  and 
most  thorough  way  of  making  them,  and  can  see  that  no  material 
is  wasted  nor  carted  away.  He  need  not  lift  a  hammer,  in  fact  may 
be  incapacitated  except  for  head  work,  but  "drest  in  a  little  brief 
authority,"  can  shoulder  a  weight  of  responsibility  that  could  not 
be  carried  by  a  layman,  or,  if  physically  fit  and  amenable  to  reason, 
work  under  direct  supervision  of  architect  or  builder  a  portion  of 
the  time  and  thus  pay  at  least  half  his  way. 

In  a  job  of  this  character,  the  carrying  away  of  any  pieces  of 
wood,  however  small,  except  chips  and  shavings,  until  the  house  is 
completed  is  objectionable.  Crippling,  forming  frames  for  arches, 
coving  ceilings,  deadening  of  floors  and  stopping  fire  draft  at  plate 
line  and  floor  beam  ends  require  the  very  pieces  that  the  contractors 
or  workmen  usually  cart  away,  therefore,  before  beginning  the 
job,  have  it  thoroughly  understood  that  no  material  is  to  be  removed 
except  that  laid  aside  by  the  inspector  for  that  purpose.  It  may  not 
be  so  much  the  worth  of  the  material  as  the  lack  of  needed  pieces 
at  an  important  time,  and  in  a  big  job  the  "carting  away  habit" 


294  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

always  evaporates  considerable  desirable  material,   and  often  causes 
quarrels  among  the  men. 

I  invariably  selected  on  the  grounds,  or  on  each  floor  of  a  build- 
ing, certain  places  for  waste  lumber ;  2  x  4's  in  one  pile,  board 
ends  and  timbers  in  another,  but  built  up  in  solid  masses,  to  avoid 
extra  fire  risk.  From  these  may  be  selected  by  the  handy  boy  material 
required  by  the  artisan.  Such  a  boy,  interested  in  the  work,  and  at 
everyone's  beck  and  call  for  nails,  water,  material  or  tools,  saves  his 
wages  many  times.  It's  a  good  rule,  as  far  as  possible,  to  insist  on 
workmen  remaining  on  roof,  scaffold  or  floor  on  which  they  are 
working  until  noon  and  again  until  quitting  time,  having  their 
requirements  brought  by  the  handy  man  or  boy.  The  dawdling  habit 
is  contagious  and  will  greatly  increase  the  cost  of  building. 

Eye  Service. 

A  contractor  as  honest  as  the  sun  cannot  eliminate  eye  service, 
in  a  day  job,  and  giving  out  to  the  men  that  it  is  a  contract  job  deceives 
no  one,  therefore,  unless  the  owner  is  willing  to  have  the  work  cost 
more  than  it  ought,  under  no  circumstances  should  he  build  an  elab- 
orate house  by  the  day.  Building  on  a  percentage  basis  is  often  but  a 
partial  solution.  The  special  contract  system,  with  an  inspector, 
gives  the  owner  many  advantages  without  the  waste,  delay  and  extra 
expense  that  too  often  go  with  a  day's  work  job. 

Short  and  Long  Mathematics. 

Short  mathematics  will  show  in  a  line  the  cost  of  a  house  which 
with  wide  latitude  may  be  figured  from  ten  to  twenty  cents  per 
cubic  foot  contents  or  from  three  dollars  to  eight  dollars  per  square 
foot  area  including  labor,  which  will  cost  from  twice  to  three  times 
as  much  as  the  material.  A  rule  of  thumb  but  elastic  as 
the  requirements  of  a  vascillating  owner.  Used  with  judgment, 
it  will  hit  approximately  near  the  nail,  but  accuracy  requires  longer 
and  closer  mathematics. 

Accurate  Measurements. 

The  amateur  builder  working  under  the  above  plan  will  buy 
his  own  material,  for  he  can  thus  make  considerable  saving.  Sash 
and  window  frames  to  avoid  mistakes  should  be  ordered  from  the 
same  mill,  though  at  best  errors  are  bound  to  occur,  and  must  be 
rectified  by  the  wood-working  contractor,  who  should  himself  take 
the  dimensions.  Accurate  measurements  of  everything  connected 
with  the  building  are  essential. 

Contracts  for  plumbing,  heating  and  electric  wiring  (preferably 
iron  pipe  or  cable  system)  can  all  be  let  by  fair  competition  at  a  satis- 
factory price,  and  minus  the  extra  charge  made  by  the  general  con- 
tractor for  this  service. 


SLEEPING  PORCH,  CONSERVATORY,  AVIARY     295 

Safeguarding  Against  Building  Errors. 

A  substitute  for  this  plan,  if  one  does  not  wish  to  assume  the 
care  and  responsibility  of  handling  each  individual  contractor,  is  to 
get  all  the  contracts  lined  up,  then  let  the  entire  job  to  a  capable 
builder  and  pay  him  a  fixed  sum  to  turn  your  house  over  to  you 
within  a  specified  time.  Ostensibly,  the  builder  is  the  man  to  whom 
the  sub-contractors  look  for  their  pay,  and  he  can  handle  them  better 
than  you  can,  for  you  may  never  build  another  house,  while  the 
builder  will  require  services  of  this  kind  as  long  as  he  is  in  business. 
In  reality,  you  stand  back  of  him.  A  curious  realm,  this  of  build- 
ing, and  many  of  its  members  are  no  different  from  those  who 
manipulate  the  stock  market  or  corner  cotton,  wheat  and  oats. 
Delay  for  Inspection. 

Assuming  that  the  former  plan  has  been  adopted  and  the  exterior 
is  about  completed,  let  us  halt  to  consider  carefully  the  exact  condi- 
tions before  plastering.  In  this  analysis  stop  all  important  work  for 
a  week  at  least,  and  bring  all  the  talent  and  expert  advice  you  can 
to  bear  upon  any  required  changes,  for  these  must  be  made  if  you 
are  to  have  a  satisfactory  house,  and  can  be  tried  out  by  the  strips 
of  wood  hereinafter  described.  Should  not  this  door  opening  be 
moved  a  trifle?  Are  the  windows  in  the  morning  room  too  high 
or  in  the  bathroom  too  low?  Is  the  kitchen  light  enough?  Should 
this  or  that  partition  come  down?  Would  not  double  doors  between 
these  two  bedrooms  be  a  great  advantage  in  case  of  illness,  giving 
extra  sunlight,  companionship,  care  and  air?  That  door  is  too  close 
to  the  fireplace,  and  we  forgot  a  toy  closet  in  the  playroom ;  a  south- 
west window  in  the  nursery  will  make  it  cooler  for  the  children ; 
one  window  in  this  room  is  unsafely  low;  by  moving  that  stair  open- 
ing forward  or  back  a  foot  we  can  build  a  platform,  thus  avoiding 
a  window  as  well  as  a  winder,  hence  an  easier  and  safer  climb,  and 
the  window  arrangement  on  the  north  as  seen  from  the  outside  is 
abominable. 
Sleeping  Porch,  Conservatory,  and  Aviary. 

Leading  from  that  south  room  we  can  construct  a  sleeping 
porch;  and  sometime  build  on  the  balance  of  the  veranda  roof  space 
that  joy  of  the  housewife,  a  second  story  conservatory  and  aviary  big 
enough  to  swing  a  hammock  'mid  plants,  singing  birds,  and 'winter 
sunshine.  This  closet  is  large  enough  for  an  outside  window;  had 
we  not  better  cove  that  ceiling?  By  wainscoting  the  hall  we  can 
save  a  finishing  coat  of  plaster  and  obtain  a  better  effect — in  fact, 
at  this  stage  of  the  building  changes  and  improvements  frequently 
save,  as  well  as  cost,  and  crotchets  of  comfort  can  often  be  indulged 
at  slight  expense. 

Essential  changes  that  make  a  house  just  right  should  always  be 
made,  as  one  generally  builds  but  one  home.  "Almost  right"  stays 
with  us  to  the  end,  clouding  an  otherwise  satisfactory  conception. 


296  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

Show  me  a  man  who  tells  you  his  house  was  built  exactly  as  the 
original  plan  called  for,  and  I  will  show  you  a  man  dissatisfied  for 
life. 

Study  your  house  from  garret  to  cellar,  then  re-study  it,  like 
your  college  valedictory,  again  and  again,  and  see  how  startled  you 
are  at  finding  some  glaring  error  that  has  escaped  architect,  builder, 
and  all  criticizing  friends.  One  of  my  first  houses  was  passed  upon 
by  the  purchaser  as  absolutely  satisfactory,  when  one  day  he  dis- 
covered that  to  reach  the  front  door  the  maid  must  trail  across  the 
dining  room.  I  at  once  built  a  one  story  palm  corridor  which 
obviated  the  difficulty  and  vastly  improved  the  house,  but  if  I  had 
stopped  work  long  enough  when  the  rooms  were  studded  to  consider 
possible  improvements,  this  glaring  defect  would  have  been  discovered 
and  remedied  before  the  house  was  plastered.  When  you  are  con- 
fident that  everything  is  right,  and  after  straightening  and  leveling 
all  studding  and  floor  beams,  plaster,  and  when  this  is  done  stop 
work  a  week  for  finals.  Forethought  should  have  dictated  months 
ago  that  which  will  have  much  to  do  with  the  beauty  of  your  house, 
i.  e.,  the  kind  of  wood  to  be  used  for  trim,  and  its  treatment,  for 
this  will  control  wall  and  ceiling  decoration,  as  well  as  furnishings — 
if  unfortunate  delays  have  occurred  give  your  closest  thought  to  trim 
selection,  "better  late  than  never"  holds  especially  good  in  house 
building.  Plaster  effects  molded  in  ceiling  should  be  decided  upon 
in  detail,  as  they  are  more  economically  placed  when  the  house  is  being 
plastered.  Final  touches  can  be  settled  after  the  house  is  trimmed. 

In  trim  and  stairs,  material  and  workmanship  you  will  find  a 
wide  range  both  in  thoroughness  of  mill  work  and  expense.  I  once 
cut  the  cost  of  trim  for  a  large  house  in  half — and  both  quality  of 
work  and  execution  were  excellent — by  ordering  during  a  quiet  season 
doors,  windows,  trim  and  stairs,  months  ahead  of  requirements  from 
a  first-class  country  mill  near  a  hard  wood  supply,  favored  by  cheap 
labor  conditions,  and  in  need  of  a  back  log  to  keep  running  full  time. 
A  rush  order  to  a  mill  often  means  a  high  price,  possibly  poorer  work, 
and  half  kiln  dried  material. 

You  have  now  reached  your  final  labor  contract,  the  setting  up 
of  the  standing  trim,  hanging  doors  and  windows,  placing  beamed 
ceilings,  floors  and  stairs,  which  latter,  as  well  as  wainscoting  and 
pantry  dressers,  can  preferably  be  shipped  ready  to  set.  It  will  sur- 
prise you  to  find  how  reasonably  this  contract  can  be  let  if  you  go 
about  it  in  the  right  way.  Good  mechanics  ambitious  to  become  gen- 
eral contractors  will  give  both  excellent  service  and  low  prices,  but 
ability  to  handle  men  and  lay  out  work  is  essential. 

Meantime,  with  the  help  of  the  landscape  gardener,  you  have 
planned  the  planting  and  general  landscaping,  for  this  should  keep 
pace  with  the  building  of  the  house. 


CORNERING  ELUSIVE  TIME  297 

Cornering  Elusive  Time. 

Don't  lose  an  entire  year.  None  of  us  have  a  surplus  of  that 
for  which  the  whole  world  is  gasping — time,  so  plant  and  protect. 
Over  this  work  your  inspector  has  had  general  oversight;  he  has  also 
kept  nails  and  other  hardware  under  lock  and  key,  protected  door 
and  window  sills,  scribbled  across  the  plate  glass  to  prevent  breakage 
and  attended  to  locking  the  house  at  night.  He  has  carefully  looked 
after  the  burning  of  all  inflammable  debris,  especially  shavings  (this 
should  be  done  every  day  when  there  is  not  too  much  wind),  and 
had  an  oversight  over  all  other  fires,  primarily  those  of  the  plumber 
and  mason,  and  if  salamanders  are  used,  seen  that  they  are  in  good 
repair  and  with  ample  sand  bed  protection ;  also  carried  the  burden 
of  the  hundred  and  one  other  things  that  if  promptly  attended  to 
help  prodigiously  in  the  building  of  a  house. 

Saturday  Night  Accounting. 

I  grant  you  this  method  of  building  has  its  intricacies,  and  means 
responsibility,  but  one  great  redeeming  feature  that  may  be 
vital  to  your  peace  of  mind  is  to  know  just  where  you  stand  every 
Saturday  night.  By  special  arrangement  with  the  contractors, 
and  insertion  of  such  a  clause  in  the  contract,  you  can  insist  on  hav- 
ing fifty  men  at  work  Monday  morning,  and  cut  the  number  to  two 
the  next  week.  A  friend  building  a  fine  home  found  it  financially 
inconvenient  to  finish  it  as  planned.  Rather  than  cheapen  the  house, 
he  boarded  it  in  and  completed  it  the  following  year,  his  contract 
allowing  him  this  latitude.  If  details  prove  too  onerous  or  you 
have  not  time  for  frequent  inspection,  plenty  of  contractors  will  stand 
in  line  at  any  stage  of  the  construction  to  take  the  job  off  your  hands 
and  push  it  to  completion.  The  contract  can  contain  a  clause  to  buy 
off  your  small  contractors  on  payment  of  a  stated  sum  on  account 
of  change  in  plans.  A  year  in  the  business  world  is  a  long  period 
and  often  brings  reverses  and  financial  sheet  anchors  may  prove  con- 
venient to  the  most  affluent. 

The  usual  contract  method  of  building  a  $50,000  to  $100,000 
house  is  open  to  the  grave  objection  that  few  contractors  will  figure 
on  a  job  of  this  size  except  with  a  liberal  margin,  counting  the 
"know  how,"  the  risk,  and  the  fact  that  in  seven  cases  out  of  ten 
changes  may  run  the  total  cost  from  $75,000  to  $150,000,  and  perhaps 
entail  legal  complications.  Then  again,  the  careful  contractor  must 
add  to  his  figures  a  percentage  to  cover  the  money  risk  in  selling  you 
labor  and  materials,  a  risk  on  which  you  of  course  do  not  figure. 

All  contracts  should  carry  an  employers'  accident  policy,  and 
the  owner  should  see  that  the  premium  is  paid,  even  if  he  has  to 
stand  the  expense. 

The  question  of  employing  a  night  watchman  must  be  decided 
by  each  owner  for  himself,  but  it  is  a  wise  precaution  in  a  job  of 
any  magnitude. 


298 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


TEH  FEET 

OF 

ICICLES 
TETi  FEET 
VERDURE 


THE  TREES 

VOHICM 

GREW 

THROU6M   THF 


OUR    THREE    TYPE    VERANDAS. 


TECHNIQUE  OF  BUILDING  299 

CHAPTER  IX. 
THE  DRY  TECHNIQUE  OF  BUILDING  FOR  THE  AMATEUR. 

TO  build  or  not  to  build?  Those  who  answer  in  the  affirmative 
and  have  time,  taste  and  coin  of  the  realm  sufficient,  if  they 
are  true  philosophers  and  can  brook  delays  and  disappointments, 
revel  in  the  joy  of  creating  for  its  own  sake,  a  joy  unknown  to  the 
portion  of  humanity  that,  like  the  swinging  tree  moss,  catches  first  this 
branch,  then  that  in  its  embrace;  parasitical  in  habit,  blowing  hot 
or  cold;  often  unanchored  and  drifting.  The  home  can  be  made  a 
permanent  anchorage  to  the  most  restless  mortal,  and  he  who  thus 
creates  heels  closely  that  time-honored  human  who  made  two  blades 
of  grass  to  grow  where  one  grew  before  and  leaves  the  world  better 
for  his  brief  advent. 

Intensely  interesting  is  the  country  house  craze  breaking  out  on 
every  hand,  giving  a  sensible  excuse  for  the  week-end  exodus.  It 
varies  from  the  A.  B.  C.  of  living,  as  seen  in  the  modest,  one  room 
bungalow  or  picturesque  Swiss  chalet  to  the  luxurious  hundred- 
roomed  mansion  crowning  the  hills  of  Lenox  or  Aiken ;  in  design 
gamutting  the  world.  What  a  will  o'  the  wisp  is  Dame  Architecture, 
she  who  in  ancient  Greece  threw  about  the  rough  hewn  girder,  sup- 
ported by  still  rougher  and  more  uncouth  pillars,  the  delicate  out- 
lined tracery  of  entablature  and  frieze,  Ionic  and  Doric  cap  and 
gracefully  fluted  column,  a  beauty  of  design  and  construction  that 
bids  fair  to  last  forever. 

Line  of  Succession. 

We  read  man's  progress  the  world  over,  from  primordial 
cavern  up  through  hollow  tree  trunk  shelter  and  tree  hut  of  the 
African,  the  Icelander's  igloo,  the  Neolithic  pennpit  burrow  of  early 
England,  succeeded  by  the  one  room  Saxon  chimneyless  dwelling,* 
the  stone  fortress  retreat  of  the  cliff  dweller,  lake-protected  dwell- 
ings of  Switzerland,  the  pueblo  of  the  Mexican  or  the  crude  Mayan 
palace,  to  the  stupendous  sheltering  walls  of  a  Windsor  or  a  Hohen- 
zollern,  or  the  graceful  and  delicate  beauty  of  incomparable 
Versailles.  One's  pulse  throbs  as  quickly  and  his  pride  in  man's 
achievement  rises  as  high  today  in  the  presence  of  the  ruined  Pan- 
theon, that  creation  of  man  "Earth  proudly  wears  as  the  best  gem 
in  her  zone,"  as  wrhen  it  wras  first  unveiled  to  acclaiming  multitudes 
centuries  ago. 

In  America  the  Romanesque  especially  of  the  Eleventh  and 
Twelfth  centuries,  resurrected  and  adapted  to  later  needs  by  Richard- 

*Once  lost  in  a  snowstorm  in  the  mountains  of  Lebanon  and  rescued  by  the  Bedouin 
sheik  of  the  village  of  Kaffir  Hauer,  I  fancied  Time  had  turned  back  the  dial  and  that  we 
were  sleeping  on  the  dirt  floor  of  an  English  chimneyless  hall 


300  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

son  and  often  imitated  in  somewhat  gingerbread  fashion  by  mediocre 
followers,  has  many  advocates,  as  well  as  the  Gothic  of  the  Thirteenth 
to  the  Sixteenth  Centuries,  sometimes  called  one  man  stone  work 
when  compared  with  the  megalithic  masonry  of  Italy,  Greece  and 
Egypt  and  rivaling  in  beauty  the  Neoclassic  of  later  date.  In  the 
Eighteenth  Century  Dame  Architecture  slept  the  sleep  of  the  just, 
this  being  the  nadir  of  architecture  as  the  "Seventh  Century  was  the 
nadir  of  the  human  mind,"  so  absolutely  without  individuality  was 
the  period  save  for  an  occasional  return  to  the  Renaissance  of  France 
and  Italy  and  to  the  classic  grafted  on  the  Colonial  which,  with  high 
pillared  fronts  and  Pantheon  entablatures,  graced  many  a  country 
side.  In  America,  in  the  middle  of  the  Nineteenth  Century  came  the 
upheaval  of  every  known  type ;  an  agglomeration  at  times  of  a  falderal 
of  ideas  jumbled  into  a  veritable  grab  bag  in  which  village  carpenter — 
ignoring  the  fact  that  it  takes  at  least  twenty-five  trades  to  build  a 
real  house — and  inexperienced  architect  delved  and  brought  forth, 
among  others,  the  square,  cupola-crowned  country  house  and  the 
Gothic  cottage  with  head  hitting  ceilings  and  jig-saw  embellishments. 

Then  came  radical  changes.  The  tide  of  departure  from  and 
decadence  of  the  dignified  Colonial  set  in,  and  a  wave  of  Queen 
Anne — of  far  away  Gothic  parentage — swept  over  our  land,  interiors 
embellished  and  finished  in  varied  styles,  including  the  Eastlake  and 
later  the  doweled  and  keyed  Mission.  Dissatisfaction  was  the  inevit- 
able result  of  these  nondescript  productions,  and  architects  in  the 
search  for  something  more  beautiful  again  turned  to  the  Colonial 
and  the  coeval  English  Georgian,  and  in  combination  with  the  Queen 
Anne,  evolved  many  examples  of  rare  beauty,  the  beginning  of  a 
real  apotheosis  in  American  architecture.  The  grander  houses  were 
replicas  of  Italian,  French  or  Dutch  Renaissance — a  broad  mantle, 
covering  an  occasional  sin — or  again,  Tudor,  Jacobean,  Elizabethan 
or  Victorian  asserted  its  influence ;  the  latter,  often  overloaded  with 
inartistic  decoration,  fields  wherein  many  a  gimcrack  creation,  the 
outcome  of  architectural  revel  license,  today  horrifies  the  beholder, 
or  later  the  period  when  the  suburban  builder  seized  with  avidity 
upon  the  Mansard,  which  has  the  single  redeeming  merit  of  chang- 
ing low-eaved  attic  rooms  to  those  of  high  ceilings  and  semi-perpen- 
dicular walls. 

The  limitations  of  unlimited  wealth,  aggressively  self-evident 
when  unguided  by  knowledge,  are  sometimes  responsible  for  much  that 
is  bizarre,  incomplete,  and  uncomfortable  in  the  house  building  field. 
The  small  man  of  large  means,  to  save  a  few  dollars  will  often 
ignorantly  vandalize  the  finest  conception  to  the  extent  of  thousands. 
His  only  safety  is  to  leave  it  to  that  architect  who  really  knows,  and 
pay  the  bills  without  grumbling. 


ACME  OF  LIVING  301 

Acme  of  Living. 

Given  a  clearing  and  virgin  soil,  save  for  the  steel  edge  of  the 
woodsman  and  steel  point  of  the  plowman,  it  is  the  acme  of  living 
to  reclaim  and  to  build  as  one  desires,  absolutely  untrammeled.  In 
place  of  tangled  forest  and  rock-strewn  field,  to  rear  a  habitation 
adapted  to  and  in  harmony  with  climatic  topography,  to  gather  from 
the  four  quarters  of  the  globe  the  best  of  earth's  products  and  mold 
them  to  one's  use;  to  master  savoir  faire,  and  no  longer  have  plan- 
ning ever  synonym  compromise — this  is  the  acme  of  living,  the  "sine 
qua  non"  of  house  building. 

In  ideal,  hypercritical  building,  there  are  three  essentials: 

Ample  funds;  ample  land;  ample  time,  and  the  job  to  be  thor- 
oughly done  must  be  from  under  the  ground.  Even  using  an 
old  foundation  may  be  a  serious  handicap,  as  it  is  most  important 
that  the  house  angle  should  suit  the  site,  with  the  sun  where  it  is 
needed  and  the  kitchen,  one  bete  noir  of  the  architect,  so  placed  as  to 
neither  hide  an  important  view  nor  over-heat  and  over-odor  the  house. 

Remodeling  may  make  for  comfort,  but  effectually  bars  achieve- 
ment, and  the  completed  product  is  always  far  from  ideal.  A  year 
is  not  too  long  for  planning  the  house,  and  during  that  year  if  your 
heart  is  in  the  work,  you  will  be  "bethumped  with  ideas,"  and  have 
mind-built  a  dozen  houses,  and  mind  building  is  not  only  interest- 
ing and  inexpensive,  but  profitable.  The  January  house  in  the  light 
of  your  December  product  will  generally  seem  crude  and  impossible, 
and  the  months  between  may  be  strewn  with  dismantled  and  wrecked 
dwellings  which  died  a-borning.  A  year's  residential  try-out  while 
developing  the  plans  gives  ample  time  to  grasp  all  conditions  of  an 
unknown  neighborhood  and  may  prevent  unnecessary  shrinking  of 
one's  bank  account  and  heart-breaking  disappointments.  Buy  when 
you  find  your  ideal  site,  but  sell  before  building  rather  than  label 
the  completed  dwelling  and  its  location  a  mistake.  Keen  observa- 
tion and  adaptation  to  your  special  requirements  are  essential  guides. 
Few  houses  meet  one's  ideal.  With  the  world  from  which  to  choose, 
the  owner-builder,  keenly  interested  in  his  new  home,  strives  though 
fruitlessly  in  the  egotism  of  creation  to  lead  that  world  if  only  in 
one  feature,  but  to  carelessly  stray  afield  outside  the  pale  of  simple 
strength  in  avoiding  anaemic  architecture  and  a  dull  level  of  same- 
ness is  often  to  conflict  with  the  canons  of  good  taste,  and  unduly 
blot  and  smear  a  garden  of  Eden. 

Life  of  a  House. 

In  building,  one  should  aim  to  compass  in  all  possible  measure 
the  three  fundamentals  of  health,  comfort,  and  idealism.  In  the 
planning  before  building  days,  picture  and  re-picture  your  home 
from  every  possible  vantage  ground,  remembering  that  in  our  climate 
a  wooden  house  will  deteriorate  yearly  from  three  to  ten  per  cent., 
and  one  of  stone  or  brick,  from  two  to  five  per  cent.,  and  that  eternal 


302  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

vigilance  is  the  price  of  comfortable  living.  A  systematic  inspection 
by  mason,  carpenter  and  plumber  every  six  months  is  essential.  Pre- 
vention will  keep  you  well  abreast,  and  even  ahead,  of  all  destroying 
forces. 

To  be  critical  about  one's  home  castle,  whether  an  adobe  dwell- 
ing, a  sod-roofed  dugout,  or  a  palace,  is  worth  while. 

Barbaric  architecture  and  slathers  of  ornamentation  are  dan- 
gerous lodestones  with  which  to  trifle,  but  enthusiasm  often  leads 
architect,  builder,  or  owner  to  play  the  role  of  copyist  of  past  crea- 
tions. Such  lapses  are  not  open  to  criticism,  as  all  the  world  is  with 
us.  Architecture  was  born  centuries  ago,  and  is  still  sisterless. 

Ferro-Cement  Construction. 

Fireproof  is  a  misnomer  under  certain  conditions.  Fill  your  fire- 
proof building  with  combustibles  and  let  water  enter  to  fight  the 
flames,  and  your  seemingly  adamant  cement,  impregnable  stone,  and 
unyielding  steel  will  peel,  split,  and  crumble,  while  the  last  turns 
on  itself  like  a  squirming  serpent.  Is  it  a  life  marriage,  this  union 
of  cement  and  iron,  or  will  acid,  attrition,  vibration,  and  electrolysis 
disintegrate  bolt  head,  iron  binder,  and  rivet?  This  is  the  crux  over 
which  every  architect  is  puzzling,  and  that  architect  who  fails  to 
reckon  with  the  prodigious  contracting  power  exerted  by  a  forty 
degree  below  zero  temperature  on  an  iron  column  and  girder  and 
the  enormous  lengthening  force  of  a  one-hundred  degree  temperature 
will  shatter  both  building  and  reputation.  Cement  walled  and  floored 
buildings  are  extremely  difficult  and  very  expensive  to  enlarge, 
change,  or  rebuild,  especially  when  partially  destroyed  by  fire.  Arti- 
ficial reinforced  stone  in  quoin,  sill,  and  lintel,  with  tooled  surface, 
if  of  the  best,  is  permissible  in  brick  and  stone  structures.  The  diffi- 
culty of  making  door  and  window  frames  set  in  cement  walls  tight 
is  partially  solved  by  insetting  especially  constructed  non-rusting  metal 
weather  strips  in  the  cement.  Alternate  brick  headers  between 
layers  of  hollow  tile  make  for  strength. 

Smouldering  wood  means  less  pecuniary  loss  than  crumbling 
cement  walls  and  twisted  steel.  Brick  that  has  been  through  the 
fire  to  make  it  more  staunch  under  conditions  mocks  at  powers  before 
which  cement  and  steel  grovel.  Eliminate  draughts  in  partitions 
and  as  far  as  may  be  on  stairs,  and  avoid  using  inflammable  gum 
varnish  and  oil  saturated  pigments,  choosing  fireproof  paint  instead. 
Make  floors  of  semi-solid  timbers,  and  with  brick  or  hollow  brick 
covered  with  cement  exterior,  hollow  brick  partitions,  tile  roofs  and 
metal  gutters,  you  are  fairly  near  fire  control  that  is  in  many  ways 
preferable  to  the  much  vaunted  fireproof,  moisture-laden,  inartistic 
structure  of  cement  and  iron.  Fireproof  conditions  are  perfectly 
possible  in  a  detached  dwelling,  unless  filled  with  combustible 
material.  Drenching  a  conflagration  with  water  will  often  seriously 
injure,  if  not  destroy,  such  a  building. 


DEATH  DEALING  MOISTURE  303 

One  objection  to  cement  walls  and  floors  in  houses  is  that  an 
echo  may  detract  from  the  homelike  atmosphere. 

Filing-Cabinet  Fireproof  Room. 

Slow  burning  construction  and  a  low  fireproof  annex  cover 
the  owner's  usual  requirements,  unless  he  decides  to  build  a 
one-story  cement  affair,  say  10x10x10,  detached  from  the  house, 
lined  with  boiler  iron,  and  burglar-proof,  electrically  connected 
with  the  master's  bedroom  through  pipes  laid  in  a  cement  grouted 
ditch,  and  entirely  free  from  all  risk  of  burning  debris  which  is 
bound  to  endanger  such  a  room  if  in  or  annexed  to  a  dwelling. 
Cumbersome  maps,  deeds,  contracts,  and  the  long  list  of  papers 
that  may  never  be  used,  but  if  wanted  and  readily  found  some- 
times save  or  make  a  fortune,  and  a  card  index  showing  in  an  instant 
where  past  or  present  needs  are  stored,  all  find  a  place  in  this  impor- 
tant, thoroughly  protected,  and  practical  filing  room.  The  lack  of 
such  a  room  and  the  temporary  loss  of  an  important  paper  once  cost 
me  many  times  the  expense  of  a  filing-cabinet  fireproof-room. 

"Forest-born  Houses." 

Forest-born  houses,  when  rightly  planned  and  constructed,  are 
drier  and  wrarmer,  and  we  think  healthier,  and  preferable  to  those 
of  any  other  material;  they  also  lend  themselves  more  readily  to 
homelike  and  artistic  treatment.  As  science  has  tested  its  theories  on 
guinea  pigs  and  monkeys,  so  makers  of  country  houses  have  unwit- 
tingly tested  stone  and  cement  walled  homes  for  horses,  cattle,  and 
poultry  versus  forest-born  shelters,  and  found  less  rheumatism  and 
better  general  health  in  the  latter.  It  is  good  construction  to  veneer 
hollow  brick  with  rived  shakes. 

Death  Dealing  Moisture. 

An  important  phase  of  the  building  problem  is  solved  when  we 
so  construct  as  to  exclude  moisture  through  the  insidious  avenues  of 
leaking  roof,  wall,  gable,  hip,  valley,  balcony,  window  and  door  frame. 
The  driest  possible  house,  but  more  expensive,  would  have  its  exterior 
of  glazed  brick  or  glazed  or  unglazed  terra  cotta  in  color  harmony 
with  its  surroundings.  Radical?  Granted,  and  possibly  cornmercialjbut 
far  less  so  than  that  house  built  of  glass  from  cellar  to  roof-tree,  that 
western-built  copper  house,  or  an  octagonal  or  possibly  gasometer 
round  house.  The  latter  scheme,  if  in  a  large  building  with  archi- 
trave, entablature,  and  column,  is  capable  of  most  impressive  effects, 
but  expensive  to  enlarge  and  ventilate,  and  as  generally  built  is  puny, 
bare,  and  often  grotesque.  A  glaring,  glazed  or  unglazed  terra  cotta 
or  brick  exterior  should  be  softened  by  suitable  vine,  shrub,  and  tree 
planting,  and,  while  neither  tree  nor  shrub  must  shut  from  any  house 
the  health-giving  rays  of  the  sun,  approaches  should  be  so  laid  out 
as  to  give  the  impression  of  a  foliage-embowered  dwelling. 


304  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

Veneered  beauty  soon  vanishes,  green  wood  shrinks,  poorly 
flashed  chimneys,  valleys,  and  balconies  leak,  thin  walls  and  hastily 
laid  floors  echo,  and  insecure  nailings  gap — the  result,  King  Moisture 
comes  into  his  own. 

Hidden  Basic  Construction. 

Hidden  basic  construction  is  too  often  flimsy  and  even 
the  simplest  domestic  requirements  ignored,  the  builder  relying  on  an 
effective,  decorative  composition  to  conceal  errors  which  should  not 
occur  in  the  most  modest  dwelling.  I  have  noted  within  a  month 
fireproof  and  semi-fireproof  public  buildings,  and  also  what  would  be 
called  a  superior  dwelling — one,  a  city  hall  with  wooden  studded 
and  lathed  partitions,  another  a  costly  library  building,  with  wooden 
cornices,  entrance,  and  ornaments;  an  expensive  brick  school  house 
with  flat,  leaky  shingle  roof,  a  high  class  English  stone  house  with 
wooden  roof — with  interior  and  other  exterior  appointments 
and  effects  that  are  glaring  errors,  to  be  recognized  and  criticized  by 
the  veriest  tyro  in  architecture.  Even  after  a  fine  house  is  built  on 
some  magnificent  site  poor  landscaping  and  an  unnecessary  network 
of  walks  and  paths  may  blemish  the  entire  conception. 

It  is  a  reef-strewn  channel  into  which  the  optimistic  amateur 
builder  has  boldly  and  recklessly  headed  his  craft.  It  behooves  him 
to  have  an  expert  pilot  at  the  wheel,  and  a  first  class  architect's  advice 
and  guidance  is  worth  many  times  its  cost. 

Horses  vs.  Houses. 

Standardizing  points  in  houses  is  as  essential  as  scheduling  points 
in  horses,  and  he  who  achieves  the  one  hundred  per  cent,  striven 
for — a  goal  yet  unattained — has  reached  the  alembic  of  ideal  housing. 
Among  thousands  of  addenda  a  few  essentials  stand  out  in  relief 
after  location,  material,  form  and  method  of  construction  are  settled. 
These  are  pronouncedly  seen  in  window,  door,  fireplace,  staircase, 
height  of  each  story,  and  harmony  of  color  treatment — even  blinds 
are  inanimates  to  grapple  with  and  conquer.  Color  within  and 
without,  as  seen  in  roof  exterior,  window  frame  and  soffit,  or  interior 
wall,  ceiling,  floor,  trim,  and  stair,  has  much  to  do  with  the  beauty  of 
the  house,  and  requires  an  artistic  touch. 

How  to  Face  and  Back  a  House. 

The  proper  angle  of  the  foundation  to  fit  the  site  is  a  vital 
problem.  Some  rooms  can  be  easily  planned  to  corral  the  sun  all  day 
remembering  that  "where  the  sun  does  not  come  the  doctor  does." 
Such  rooms  are  life  memories.  Neither  kitchen  nor  stable  yard 
should  mar  the  view  nor  offensively  saturate  southwest  breezes.  Plan 
and  build  so  that  when  more  faces  peer  over  the  edge  of  your  dining 
table  and  wider  acquaintance  knocks  at  your  door  you  can  make  the 
inevitable  additions  beautiful,  rather  than  ugly.  Madame,  as  a  rule, 
is  a  better  authority  on  the  location  of  parlor,  kitchen,  etc.,  than 


HOW  TO  FACE  AND  BACK  A  HOUSE  305 

the  financial  head  of  the  house.  Rooms  must  be  carefully  considered 
in  their  relation  to  each  other,  to  the  points  of  compass,  and  use,  and 
glaring  contrasts,  such  as  Gothic  interiors  elbowing  Colonial  should 
be  avoided. 

A  common  mistake  is  that  of  making  a  small  house  a  diminutive 
copy  of  a  large  one.  Possibly  fine  in  the  large  conception,  it  is 
usually  pernickety  in  the  small.  Another  error  is  in  making  an  uplift- 
ing, gem-site  of  rising  ground  stagger  under  the  incubus  of  a  house 
with  stiff  citified  outlines. 

It  is  a  fine  thing  to  live  a  long  time  with  the  plans  before 
beginning  work.  Comfort  and  convenience  within  are  the  first  con- 
sideration, then  the  exterior,  not  necessarily  of  grandiose  architecture, 
.but  of  graceful  and  impressive  outlines. 

A  square  house  is  cheapest,  roomiest,  and  homeliest,  and  requires 
less  wall  to  enclose  a  given  space,  and  a  plain  pitch  roof  costs  least, 
but  the  slight  additional  expense  of  the  gambrel  often  makes  a 
world  of  difference  in  beauty  and  livableness. 

A  symmetrical  roof  has  a  uniform  pitch  in  all  its  sections,  usually 
as  four  to  sixteen,  this  gradient  making  a  grand  water  shedder  and 
increasing  the  life  of  the  roof. 

Square  or  rectangle  the  house  if  you  will,  but  keep  the  propor- 
tions correct,  and  break  wall  and  roof  line  with  bay,  porte  cochere, 
wide  overhang,  porch  room  and  eyebrow,  lift,  or  Gothic  dormer. 
Chimney  it  plainly  and  strongly  in  the  right  places,  window  with 
mullioned  triplets,  casements  and  transoms,  use  doors  in  good  style 
— perhaps  Dutch,  or  with  side  and  over  lights — stain  or  paint 
artistically  and  you  have  a  thing  of  beauty.  Success  in  designing  an 
attractive  and  practical  house  requires  an  axis,  as  well  as  strong  and 
effective  motifs  and  material  adapted  to  the  site.  Individualizing 
even  close  to  the  line  of  criticism  is  desirable  building  and  banishes 
uninteresting  stereotyped  construction. 

Essentials  of  Comfortable  Planning. 

Given  a  big  hall  and  living  room,  wide  stairs;  a  unique  dining 
room,  one  fine  bedroom  and  boudoir  suite,  and  your  house  is  made, 
even  if  economy  requires  a  kitchenette  and  the  hall  bedrooms  of  the 
summer  hotel  to  keep  the  balance  on  the  right  side  of  the  ledger. 
A  generous  porch  room  connected  with  a  cement,  brick  or  a  terrazzo- 
paved  terrace  and  a  porte  cochere  make  for  comfort  and  appearance 
out  bf  all  proportion  to  their  cost,  and  a  front  door  just  right  is  a 
fine  home  greeter. 

Foundations. 

Foundations  must  be  squared  and  plumbed,  aside  from  the 
entasis  of  an  occasional  buttress  or  exposed  cellar  wall,  first  treating 
cellar  bottom  and  interior  walls  as  well  as  exterior  underground  walls 
with  tar  to  keep  out  ground  air  and  dampness.  At  the  foot  of  the 
excavation  in  the  ditch  which  parallels  the  wall  outside  the  cellar, 
lay  a  drain  pipe  covered  with  small  stones  to  within  two  feet  of  the 


306  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

lawn  surface,  leading  to  a  blind  well  of  sufficient  size  to  dispose  of  all 
moisture. 

Think  ahead;  have  all  material  at  hand.  There  is  no  better 
goad  to  keep  the  job  at  concert  pitch,  outside  the  silver  spur,  than 
a  pile  of  lumber  stacked  to  half  story  height,  construction  shed  filled 
with  barrels  of  cement,  lime  and  brick,  and  an  overflowing  sand  pile. 
It  is  human  nature  to  dally  and  spin  out  work  when  material  is 
scarce. 

Seven  Important  Levers  to  Raise  a  Modern  House. 

The  seven  following  materials,  hollow  brick,  glazed  or  dead 
finish  terra  cotta,  cement,  galvanized  iron  lath,  wire  glass,  steel 
I-beams,  and  tar,  when  properly  used  have  simplified  and  improved 
building  an  hundred  fold.  In  so  important  a  matter  as  the  build- 
ing of  a  home,  it  will  often  pay  even  the  layman  to  master  in  a 
measure  at  least  some  of  the  dry  details  of  construction,  the  under- 
lying "know  how"  of  actual  work  to  be  done  before  one  tries  to  even 
outline  pergola,  veranda,  fireplace,  dainty  outdoor  bedroom,  and 
tiled  conservatory,  or  spacious  entrance  hall,  mantel,  and  staircase,  all 
features  delightful  to  dream  of,  plan,  and  execute. 

If  exposed  to  severe  gales  it  is  better  to  anchor  a  wooden  framed 
house  to  the  ledge  at  each  corner  and  projection  with  heavy  irons 
sunk  into  the  rock  and  firmly  fastened  in  drilled  holes  with  melted 
sulphur.  This  precaution  gives  greater  solidity  before  the  building 
is  fully  braced  and  weighted.  There  should  also  be  a  prodigal  use 
of  I-beams,  and  posts  and  stirrups  of  iron,  concealed  and  fire  pro- 
tected by  cement,  or  hollow  brick. 

Woods. 

It's  interesting  to  know  that  a  king  post  holds  up  the  ridge 
and  centres  the  collar  beams,  which  in  turn  are  steadied  by  the  queen 
post  at  each  end ;  that  this  latter  must  rest  on  a  solid  partition  wall 
or  other  support  amply  able  to  hold  it,  while  trimmer  heads  and  tail 
beams  form  and  strengthen  stair  and  chimney  openings;  that  white 
pine  boards  shrink  but  little  compared  with  spruce,  chestnut  and 
N.  C.  pine,  and  that  spruce  boards  unless  thoroughly  nailed  are  apt 
to  curl  at  the  edges,  sliver  and  wear  out  quickly;  that  beautiful  hard 
red  birch  which  is  more  durable  than  even  oak  under  foot  decays 
rapidly  when  exposed  to  the  weather,  and  unless  thoroughly  kiln- 
dried,  warps,  shrinks,  and  draws,  as  is  also  the  case  with  chestnut, 
but  that  both,  nevertheless,  are  entitled  to  wide  use,  the  latter  because 
of  its  beautiful  grain  and  the  former  for  its  veined  texture,  rich 
mottled  coloring,  and  close  resemblance  to  mahogany  which  can  also 
be  fairly  imitated  in  softer  white  wood.  Cypress  makes  an  excellent 
weather  wood,  especially  for  frame,  sash,  belt  course,  soffit,  and  trim. 
Locust  and  chestnut  are  two  fine  underground  woods. 

The  objection  to  chestnut  on  the  basis  that  it  is  apt  to  be  wrormy 
can  be  overcome  by  selection  of  the  fittest,  or  a  dose  of  creosote  will 


SEVEN  LEVERS  TO  RAISE  A  HOUSE  307 

prevent  farther  ravages  if  its  use  does  not  interfere  with  future  color 
treatment. 

A  difference  in  floor  levels,  when  not  so  frequent  or  great  as  to 
give  opportunity  for  accident,  increases  the  impressiveness  of  a  house, 
just  as  a  plant  or  fountain  rightly  placed  improves  the  whole  aspect 
of  a  room  and  a  loggia  and  porte  cochere  add  value  to  an  exterior 
far  in  excess  of  their  cost. 

If  on  a  side  hill — and  the  side  hill  house  is  the  most  economical 
to  build — a  cut  off,  stone  filled  trench  is  laid  a  dozen  feet  above  the 
cellar  wall  and  connected  with  side  drainage  trenches,  straw  being 
bedded  on  stones  below  the  earth  topping,  an  essential  in  making  a 
dry  cellar. 

The  Arched  Under  House. 

One  of  the  most  pleasing  houses  I  ever  built  was  arched-under. 
Taking  advantage  of  a  side  hill  location,  a  small  entrance  vestibule 
was  arranged  from  which  one  ascended  broad  steps  to  the  main  hall, 
which  connected  with  living  room,  library  and  den,  all  on  the  first 
floor.  The  kitchen,  butler's  pantry,  and  dining  room  were  on  the 
lower  road  level,  reached  also  by  a  stairway  from  the  living  hall. 
This  kept  culinary  appointments  and  kitchen  mechanics  remote  from 
gala  and  living  rooms,  while  allowing  more  impressive  dimensions 
for  the  latter. 

In  another  under-hill  house  was  the  garage,  with  gasoline  in  a 
near  by  earth-buried  tank. 

Stone,  Brick,  and  Cement. 

For  stone  work,  the  boulder  laid-up-rustic,  cement  bedded,  is 
satisfactory,  or  rubble, — coursed  or  random — broken  ashler-random- 
face,  or  range  laid  smooth  cut  quarry — in  fact  any  stone  harder  than 
soft  limestone,  certain  grades  of  which  disintegrate  more  or  less 
rapidly  in  this  climate.  Foundations  should  total  at  least  twelve 
inches  wider  than  the  superstructure. 

Tackling  a  spring  or  water  course  in  cellar  or  cesspool  is  a  try- 
ing problem.  I  once  spent  nine  hundred  dollars  in  blasting  and 
attempting  to  stopper  a  boiling  spring  at  the  bottom  of  a  rock-quar- 
ried excavation  intended  for  a  cesspool.  With  the  house  gridironed 
by  pipes  connected  with  a  community  reservoir,  the  living  spring 
was  a  travesty.  We  had  better  luck  with  a  water  course  in  the  cel- 
lar, having  no  ledge  with  wrhich  to  contend.  Digging  sufficiently 
deep  and  underdraining  at  an  incline  settled  the  difficulty. 

Cellars. 

A  stone  cellar  wall  so  built  that  the  stones  extend  from  the 
exterior  to  the  interior,  binding  the  wall,  needs  extra  tarring  treat- 
ment; otherwise  these  stones  add  their  quota  of  moisture  to  the 
water  drawn  from  the  ground  by  capillary  attraction,  encouraging 
those  insidious  foes,  fungoid  growth  and  ground  air.  Weather  beaten 


308  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

and  cracked  rough  stone  taken  from  old  walls  should  not  be  used 
in  the  construction  of  a  fine  house.  Their  proper  place  is  in  the 
underdraining  of  land  and  roads.  The  old-fashioned  method  of  cover- 
ing the  foundation  wall  with  moisture-proof  slate  or  blue  stone  slabs 
before  the  house  wall  is  built  is  still  good.  It  is  a  fatal  mistake  to 
tolerate  stone  cellar  walls  laid  up  dry,  the  surface  only  smeared  with 
cement.  Moisture  and  rodents  can  only  be  balked  by  stones  embedded 
in  cement,  which  is  vastly  improved  by  being  mixed  with  crude  oil. 
Jogs  and  angles  in  foundation  walls  add  largely  to  their  cost.  A  pro- 
jecting water  table  flush  with  a  cement  sanitary  angled  gutter  a  foot 
wide  on  the  surface  of  the  ground  will  carry  drip  away  from  the 
foundation. 

Ground  Air. 

Nowhere  inside  the  house  must  tile  set  in  cement  be  laid  directly 
on  the  earth,  however  well  drained  or  gravelly  the  soil  (unless 
possibly  in  a  conservatory)  as  ground  air  and  moisture  will,  under 
certain  weather  conditions,  work  to  the  surface.  I  once  injured  an 
otherwise  attractive  inglenook  by  overlooking  this  fact. 

Cement  and  metal  under  conditions  will  carry  sound,  therefore  it 
is  desirable  to  deaden  the  floors  with  asbestos,  seaweed,  paper,  hair,  felt, 
or  other  non-conducting  material.  All  overhangs  should  be  thor- 
oughly deadened  to  prevent  cold  from  entering  the  house.  Mineral 
wool  is  excellent  for  this  use. 

Damp-proof  Walls. 

An  outside  wall  of  brick  or  stone  is  made  damp-proof  by  being 
thoroughly  painted  on  its  interior  and  exterior  where  it  is  buried 
in  the  ground  with  water-proof  paint  or  tar,  and  must  be  furred  for 
plastering.  Confined  air  makes  a  warm  blanket.  Air  space  will 
carry  sound  unless  curbed  with  baffles,  but  is  a  positive  preventer  of 
condensation.  Watch  closely  during  construction  for  crevices  in 
walls  and  about  door  and  window  frames.  Unless  cemented  most 
thoroughly,  a  stone  or  cement  house  is  a  cold  damp  house.  Air  spac- 
ing is  its  salvation.  Wooden  frames  set  in  stone  need  special  care 
to  keep  out  wind,  cold,  and  moisture.  Calking  crevices  with  oakum 
saturated  with  white  lead  decreases  coal  consumption. 

If  necessary  to  lay  brick  in  freezing  weather,  dry  brick  laid  in 
cement  mortar,  with  but  a  small  quantity  of  lime,  and  joints  neatly 
struck,  gives  the  best  job.  Care  should  be  taken  that  there  is  no  jar 
before  the  cement  hardens,  otherwise  the  brick  will  at  once  loosen. 
In  warm  weather  brick  should  be  wet  before  being  laid.  The  pic- 
turesque appearance  of  rock  faced  brick  is  marred  by  affinity  for 
dust  and  liability  to  damage  by  friction.  Its  main  advantage  aside 
from  the  effect  of  lights  and  shadows  produced  is  that  the  broken 
surface  prevents  the  annoying  window  sill  drip  that  always  mars  the 
front  of  a  brick  building. 

Water-proofing  brick  walls  with  a  colorless  solution  does  not 


GROUND  AIR  309 

change  the  appearance  of  the  brick  and  prevents  frozen  moisture 
from  scaling  mortar  joints  or  dampness  from  entering  the  house,  thus 
removing  the  ene  possible  objection  to  brick  construction.  Harvard, 
Roman,  and  tapestry  brick  are  all  good. 

The  so-called  "mud  brick"  of  commerce  is  more  or  less  a  water 
absorber,  but  has  holding  strength  in  the  wall;  its  rough  surface 
absorbs  the  mortar  even  better  than  the  smoother  face,  but  harder, 
machine  made,  piano-wire-cut  brick.  Headers  and  stretchers,  if  of 
suitable  contrasting  hue,  and  laid  in  Flemish  or  English  bond,  make 
an  effective  building,  but  meddling  with  contrasts  requires  infinite 
care  and  skill.  The  amateur  often  ruthlessly  "stomps"  "where  angels 
fear  to  tread." 

In  a  non-earthquake  country,  hollow  tile  covered  with  cement 
is  ideal  construction  if  made  damp-proof  with  tar  or  rough  paint  and 
air  spaces,  and  is  more  serviceable  than  stucco  on  wire  or  wooden  lath. 
A  double  hollow  tile  wall  is  best  if  brick  tied. 

Floor  Deadening. 

In  deadening  floors,  an  excellent  light  weight  combination  is  a 
mixture  of  cement,  sawdust,  and  ashes.  It  brings  but  little  extra 
strain  on  the  timbers,  keeps  out  cold  and  noise,  and  is  along  fireproof 
lines. 

If  the  room  immediately  over  the  kitchen  is  used  for  other  than 
storage,  the  floor  should  be  deadened  in  order  to  bar  kitchen  heat 
and  noises  and  there  must  be  an  air  space  between  the  wall  of  this 
room  and  the  kitchen  chimney. 

In  all  cementing  of  exterior  walls,  wire  lath  should  be  nailed 
on  eight  inch  centres  to  avoid  sagging,  which  is  bound  to  occur  when 
nailed  to  the  sixteen  inch  spaced  studding.  V-irons  will  give 
a  half  inch  air  space  between  sheathing  and  cement.  They  hold  the 
wire  and  cement  away  from  the  shrinking  wood,  and  tend  to  prevent 
cracks.  This  method  is  less  expensive  than  hollow  brick  construction, 
but  not  as  durable. 

The  cement  cellar  floor  should  be  four  inches  thick,  made  of 
three  inches  of  concrete  set  on  a  bed  of  sand.  A  good  concrete  mix- 
ture is  one  part  cement,  three  parts  sand,  five  parts  broken  stone,  and 
when  set  immediately  finished  with  one  inch  Portland  cement  made 
of  one  part  cement  to  three  parts  sand. 

If  steps  and  open  loggia  are  not  of  stone  or  brick,  durability 
requires  that  they  be  of  reinforced  cement.  Rounding  very  slightly 
the  edge  of  a  cement  step  will  delay  inevitable  nicking. 

Heavy  buttresses  at  the  corners  of  a  rough  foundation  wall  are 
good,  especially  for  a  high  veranda.  As  simple  a  thing  as  a  piazza 
post  wrongly  placed  will  seriously  mar  an  otherwise  beautiful  house.. 
An  entasis  effect  flaring  outward  at  the  bottom  of  an  exposed  founda- 
tion  wall  gives  stability  and  beauty. 


310  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

Flying  Arch. 

A  flying  stone  arch  or  two  supporting  a  porch  room  or  a  flight 
of  steps,  if  properly  built,  will  be  found  far  more  ornamental  than 
the  usual  plain  arch. 

Stone,  brick  and  cement  are  the  best  materials  for  the  sleepless 
arch;  wooden  arches  except  for  decorative  purposes  are  impractical. 

If  brick  construction  is  used,  the  water  table  can  be  formed 
by  corbeling  and  drawing  inward  five  or  six  courses  above  the  stone 
foundation.  Soffits  under  the  eaves  and  big  bracket  supports  are 
preferably  covered  with  cement  on  galvanized  wire  lath,  or  hollow 
brick,  but  this  necessitates  an  absolutely  tight  roof  to  prevent  the 
cement  from  scaling.  A  porch  room  is  much  improved  by  beams  over 
a  cement  ceiling. 

Exterior  iron  work  must  be  made  absolutely  rust-proof  by  gal- 
vanizing and  thorough  painting.  This  also  prevents  staining  of 
adjacent  brick  and  stone. 

All  wire  lath  should  be  galvanized  for  outside  work,  as  plain 
iron  will  rust  even  if  cement  covered,  and  painting  it  is  but  a  make- 
shift. 

Iron  posts  in  the  cellar  (supporting  iron  girders)  with  suitable 
foundations,  take  less  room  than  brick  or  stone  but  are  more  easily 
damaged  by  fire  than  are  brick.  Both  post  and  girder  are  nearer  fire- 
proof if  encircled  with  34~inch  mesh  of  galvanized  wire  and  evenly 
swathed  in  cement. 

Rat-Proof  House. 

Tf  the  house  is  of  timber  construction,  use  large  sized  timber. 
Rat-proof  at  sill  line  by  filling  in  with  rough  grouting,  brick,  or 
stone,  and  curb  the  fire  risk  at  plate  line  end  of  floor  timbers 
by  stopping  draughts  and  filling  between  studs  with  odd  pieces  of 
joist.  Extra  crippling  is  an  additional  advantage  in  hanging  heavy 
pictures.  Reinforcing  any  specially  important  bearing  by  two  or 
four  inch  wrought  iron  pipe  filled  with  cement  as  extra  supporting 
pillars  with  wide  flanges  gives  added  strength. 

The  sanitary  cement  base  is  an  advantage  in  cellar,  laundry, 
kitchen,  back  halls,  and  closets.  If  wire  screening  is  inset  in  cement 
of  floor  and  wall,  rodents  pass  by  on  the  other  side,  and  even  cock- 
roaches and  water  bugs  are  unknown. 

Cement  Expansion. 

If  cement  walks  are  used,  they  must  have  below  frost  line  foun- 
dations, and  each  cement  block  should  be  cut  through  its  entire  thick- 
ness to  allow  for  expansion  and  contraction,  and  an  asphalt  expansion 
joint  inserted  every  fifty  feet  is  a  good  precaution.  Mere  marking 
will  not  avoid  cracking.  Secure  footing  is  obtained  by  slightly  cor- 
rugating (crandalling)  the  surface,  preferably  in  some  geometrical 
design,  and  a  convex  surface  makes  a  dry  walk. 


WINDOWS  311 

Curbs  should  be  edged  with  metal  corner  bead  to  prevent  a 
dilapidated  appearance  when  nicked  or  broken,  as  they  surely  will  be 
in  time. 

It  is  a  convenience  to  have  the  number  of  the  house,  and  in  public 
buildings  the  name,  metal  inset  or  cut  in  cement  walk  near  the  gate, 
and  the  lower  straight  iron  tie  of  the  gate  brace  formed  into  a 
foot-scraper. 

Windows. 

Clustered  windows  are  as  effective  as  clustered  chimneys,  and  a 
large  wride-eyed  window  placed  at  correct  angle  in  veranda  roof 
will  give  additional  light.  Two  feet  six  inches  above  floor  line  is  the 
rule  for  setting  first-story  windows,  and  a  trifle  higher  for  second 
and  third. 

Deeply  embrasured  grouped  windows  can  be  placed  in  a  thin 
\valled  house  by  building  the  entire  side  of  the  room  inward  a  foot 
or  more,  balancing  the  space  on  each  window  side  with  a  convenient 
and  artistically  fronted  ambry. 

Broad  deep  window  sills  are  convenient  for  frond  or  flower, 
and  also  serve  as  a  sun-couch  for  the  "necessary  and  harmless  cat." 

Pockets  in  window  frames  when  plate  glass  is  used  if  made  extra 
large  allows  the  substitution  of  iron  for  the  more  expensive  leaden 
weights. 

There  is  no  more  important  matter  than  the  proper  design  and 
location  of  doors  and  windows.  Afterthought  doors  and  windows 
are  generally  expensive.  Extra  lipping  and  rabbeting  of  both  is  a 
necessity,  and  double  balcony  doors  are  fitted  with  the  knuckle  and 
elbow  joint  at  parting  strip. 

Rooms  should  be  planned  with  due  regard  to  their  furnishing. 
For  instance,  refreshing  sleep  comes  to  some  only  when  beds  are 
placed  north  and  south.  Preferably  no  bed  should  directly  face  a 
window-;  dressing  mirrors  must  have  good  light,  convenient  ingress 
and  egress  should  be  considered,  and  the  throne  of  the  fire  king  so 
located  as  to  centre  his  group  of  devotees,  instead  of  being  incon- 
veniently close  to  doors  and  windows. 

The  entrance,  whether  an  ornamental  projecting  porch,  or  a 
recess,  gives  to  the  house  either  a  hall  mark  of  distinction  or  a  black 
mark  of  mediocrity.  Columns,  architraves,  or  coat  of  arms,  in 
wTood  or  stone,  make  a  distinguished  entrance,  framing  a  door  that 
should  always  bespeak  a  message  of  welcome. 

Imprisoning  June. 

We  once  used  in  the  wall  of  a  dining  room  a  plate  glass  framed 
panel  ten  by  ten  feet,  edged  by  a  quaint  postern-gate,  beyond  the  glass  a 
jungle  of  flowers  and  vines,  a  bit  of  semi-wild  mid-summer  garden, 
pathless  and  potless,  a  tangle  of  color  springing  upward  from 
greensward,  glass  imprisoned  in  the  midst  of  an  ice  and  snow-bound 


312  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

winter  landscape.  In  a  corner  of  the  jungle  were  a  half  dozen 
sandal-wood  trees  between  groups  of  midget  Japanese  evergreens  cen- 
turies old  when  the  keel  of  the  caravel  Santa  Maria  reached  the  shores 
of  San  Salvador.  The  greatest  picture  gallery  in  the  State  boasted 
nothing  so  fine  as  our  ten  foot  square  framed  nature-picture,  chang- 
ing with  the  seasons,  and  replenished  from  time  to  time  from  the 
greenhouse,  all  flower  pots  and  boxes  being  concealed  in  mossy  bank. 

Vines  versus  Wooden  Exteriors. 

Do  not  give  that  matched  board  portable  porch  horror  a  resting 
place.  The  fancy  for  thus  marring  a  beautiful  home  is  unaccount- 
able. Settled,  windowed,  or  screened  permanent  porches  or  a  glassed- 
in  semi-conservatory  veranda  entrance  are  attractive  solutions  of  the 
porch  problem.  Against  stone  or  brick  one  must  avoid  as  far  as 
possible  the  incongruities  of  wood,  often  emphasized  still  more  by 
inappropriate  painting  in  porch  room,  veranda,  bay,  and  porte  cochere, 
adjuncts  to  be  built  at  all  hazards,  but  planned  to  fit  into  the  whole. 
If  to  be  covered  with  vines  they  should  be  oiled  instead  of  painted. 
With  care  re-oiling  will  not  injure  them. 

The  pergola  and  even  a  modest  belvedere  add  to  the  appear- 
ance of  a  property  much  more  than  their  cost,  and  the  former  often 
saves  an  unfortunate  situation.  Ugly  lines  can  be  concealed,  bare 
outlines  broken,  and  high,  stilted,  and  box-like  structures  lowered 
and  widened  thereby.  An  effective  but  more  expensive  pergola  is 
made  by  the  cross  members  sweeping  downward  a  couple  of  feet 
with  an  under  curve  on  the  outer  side.  Broad  spaces  can  be  spanned 
and  still  kept  uniform  by  sloping  the  wider  timbers  at  bearing  ends 
to  one  width. 

An  Attractive  Entrance. 

Calling  on  a  railroad  magnate  some  years  ago  in  his  wonder- 
fully beautiful  Fifth  Avenue  home  opposite  the  park,  we  climbed 
to  his  attic  den  by  a  circular  marble  staircase  that  cost  a  fortune, 
while  another  fortune  was  represented  in  the  leaded  windows,  rarely 
carved  woodwork,  mosaic  floors,  pictures,  and  statuary,  yet  after  all 
these  years,  but  one  feature  of  the  house  whose  cost,  compared  to 
the  above,  was  as  pennies  to  dollars,  is  clearly  recalled,  and  that  is 
the  vestibuled  entrance  which  led  through  a  labyrinth  of  banked 
palms  interspersed  with  floral  gems  of  rich  and  delicate  coloring, 
the  air  laden  with  divine  melody  from  silver-throated  songsters,  who 
lived  their  lives  in  this  bower  of  beauty.  Remembering  that  exotic 
entrance,  when  the  opportunity  came,  I  struck  a  duplicate,  though 
minor  key  in  one  of  my  vestibule  entrance  halls,  in  size  twelve  by 
eighteen  feet,  centred  with  a  red  tiled  walk  five  feet  wide.  Grassy 
banks,  waving  fronds,  and  swirl  of  bloom  stamped  it  forcibly  on  the 
mind  of  every  caller,  whether  mendicant,  stranger,  or  bosom  friend, 


SHINGLES  AND  THATCH  313 

through  that  touch  of  nature  that  "makes  the  whole  world  kin,"  and 
to  my  mind  far  outshone  expensive  pillared,  beamed  and  paneled 
entrance  halls. 

The  "Over"  in  Building. 

The  "over"  in  building  is  a  familiar  reef  to  the  enthusiast.  An 
over-windowed  house,  aside  from  its  appearance  of  frail  wall  area, 
blows  hot  or  cold  as  temperature  dictates.  Over  decoration,  as  seen 
in  the  lavish  use  of  gold  and  silver,  red,  green,  and  yellow,  in  wall, 
ceiling  and  colored  cornice — anything  and  everything  to  detract  from 
expressive  paintings,  fine  etchings,  rare  tapestry,  and  century  framed 
oak,  often  plunge  the  new  house  into  the  mire  of  mediocrity.  Accen- 
tuate door,  window,  wainscoting  and  mantel,  but  avoid  the  "over." 

Shingles  vs.  Thatch. 

If  buildings  are  shingled,  shingles  must  be  stain-dipped,  not 
painted,  for  paint  dries  in  ridges,  dams  back  water,  and  quickly  rots 
the  shingles.  Do  not  be  persuaded  to  thatch  barns  and  outbuildings 
in  reaching  for  the  picturesque ;  vermin  and  fire  are  risks,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  possible  leaks.  I've  seen  more  than  one  thatched  building  con- 
demned and  re-roofed  with  shingles  or  tile.  England,  recognizing 
the  extra  fire  hazard  in  some  sections,  has  passed  laws  against  build- 
ing thatched  roofs.  A  coat  of  whitewash  gives  fair  thatch  protection 
and  is  a  short  job  with  a  whitewash  gun.  Avoid  as  you  would  a 
pestilence  the  diamond  panel  in  shingle  work  and  the  grosser  outrage 
of  a  colored  design  on  a  slate  roof.  Odd  modes  of  roof  and  side 
shingling  can  be  introduced  along  pleasing  lines,  but,  like  many  an 
innovation,  it  requires  thought  to  avoid  the  grotesque. 

The  best  artistic  result  to  be  obtained  from  shingles  is  the 
rounded  thatch  on  dormer  and  eaves,  expensive,  but  unparalleled  for 
effect.  Six  or  seven  lappings  of  shingles  laid  in  curving  lines  across 
the  entire  roof  give  the  nearest  approach  to  a  thatch  effect  in  wood. 

The  upper  mullion  in  a  gable,  if  inset  three  feet,  with  sides 
rounded  and  covered  with  tooth-edged  shingles,  with  straight  header 
and  base,  is  about  the  best  shingle  gable  effect  I  ever  tried.  The 
Boston  hip  takes  the  place  of  the  old  ridge  board,  but  shingles  split 
and  blow  off  if  carelessly  nailed,  some  splitting  more  readily  than 
others,  therefore  care  must  be  taken  in  their  selection.  While  narrow 
shingles  take  longer  to  lay  they  make  a  tighter  and  better  roof  than 
the  extra  wide.  None  over  six  inches  wide  should  be  laid  on  a  roof 
unless  they  are  the  hand  rived  shakes  of  Colonial  days.  Cut  nails 
hold  a  shingle  in  place  better  than  a  wire  nail  and  prolong  the  life 
of  .the  roof.  The  wire  nail  is  a  good  friend  of  the  shingle  merchant. 
Single  nailing  of  shingles  has  advantages. 

In  a  high  house  a  double  banded  shingle  or  cement  belt  gives 
relief  to  the  surface  and  picturesquely  shadows  and  lowers  the  house, 
while  the  gable  end  that  bulges  six  or  eight  inches  to  a  point  three 


.314  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

feet  below  the  peak,  the  lower  edge  slightly  curved  outward  in  hori- 
zontal line  and  edged  with  toothed  shingles,  or  the  gable  that  con- 
caves not  only  at  peak  but  along  the  whole  verge  edge  gives  beauty 
and  variety. 

Shingles  fastened  on  shingle  laths  when  wet  dry  out  more 
quickly  and  last  longer  than  when  laid  on  boarding,  but  indoor  heat 
is  best  conserved  and  exterior  heat  or  cold  excluded  by  covering  the 
entire  roof  with  T.  &  G.  boarding,  on  top  of  which  is  laid  fireproof 
paper  generously  lapped,  then  shingle  laths,  then  the  shingles,  allow- 
ing extra  air  space. 

In  a  severe  climate  a  ceiled  roof  under  the  rafters,  protected  by 
fireproof  paper,  gives  an  air  chamber,  added  warmth,  and  is  easily 
laid  before  plastering,  which,  for  still  greater  comfort,  should  be 
furred  out  an  inch  from  the  rafters.  Close  valley  shingling  looks 
neater  and  stops  leaks,  but  curtails  the  life  of  the  shingle. 

A  Stone  Roof. 

The  enthusiasm  of  our  Hibernian  thatcher  whose  arbored 
summer  house  was  a  source  of  chagrin  to  all  base  imitators  tempted 
us  to  let  him  loose  in  our  quarry  and  stone  roof  the  ice  house — we 
never  thought  of  its  melting  the  ice  faster.  It  was  a  small  affair, 
three-fourths  underground  on  a  side  hill,  with  roof  frame  of  heavy 
logs.  The  greenish  tinge  of  moss  and  rain  streak,  and  a  sprinkling 
of  thrifty  growing  stonecrop  gave  that  roof  a  name  for  sylvan  beauty 
far  and  near.  The  roughness  of  Pelasgic  walls  was  softened  with 
running  ivy  and  woodbine  that  had  been  protected  while  building. 
A  rough  board  and  hay-filled  lining  curbed  the  heat  of  summer  on 
that  rare  stone  roof  partly  shielded  by  plant  life. 

Tile  Roofing,  Balconies  and  Skylight. 

Tile  makes  a  desirable  roof,  especially  the  mission,  but  the  under 
covering  must  be  such  as  to  prevent  leaks.  Unserviceable  paper  or 
canvas  has  canceled  many  a  tile  contract. 

Rafters  for  tile  roofs  should  be  at  least  two  by  eight  (2x8), 
better  still  two  by  nine  (2x9),  in  valleys  two  by  twelve  (2x12), 
reinforced  by  supporting  posts,  partitions,  and  extra  strong  and  well 
nailed  collar  beams. 

If  red  tile  is  laid  on  main  roof,  avoid  repeating  it  on  a  south 
veranda,  owing  to  sun  reflection.  Glare  can  be  softened  by  painting 
it  in  some  subdued  color,  using  tile  of  neutral  shade,  or  covering 
with  thoroughly  paint  soaked  canvas.  Copper  makes  an  excellent 
substitute  for  tile,  its  tendency  to  split  under  weather  changes  being 
curbed  by  ridge-seaming  it  every  eighteen  inches,  but  if  a  house  is 
isolated  and  left  unprotected  it  is  a  temptation  to  thieves  to  unroof 
it,  as  it  is  to  steal  copper  boilers  and  brass  pipe. 

Roofs  covered  with  sheet  lead,  zinc,  or  tin,  the  latter  painted  on 
:  -both  sides,  make  serviceable  head  pieces.  Copper  flashing  does  good 


TIMBERING,  FRAMING,  ETC.  315 

work  around  chimneys,  at  roof  line,  in  all  valleys,  under  and 
over  windows  and  on  balconies.  Few  leaks  are  more  difficult  to  stop 
than  those  of  a  poorly  built  balcony,  the  door  sill  of  which  requires  a 
steep  pitch.  It  is  said  that  in  Ontario's  rare  dry  climate  unpainted  tin 
on  the  exterior  is  bright  after  a  dozen  years'  service,  but  the  usual 
rule  in  other  climes  is  a  thick  coat  of  paint  on  both  upper  and  under 
sides,  repainting  exteriorly  every  two  years.  Canvas  roofs  if  covered 
too  thickly  with  paint  will  crack. 

The  roof  skylight,  that  inartistic  protuberance  so  apt  to  leak 
if  not  properly  flashed,  or  if  not  securely  fastened  liable  to  centre  the 
lawn,  can  be  generally  entirely  hidden  behind  chimney,  dormer  or 
ridge,  leaving  contours  uninjured,  and  both  overhead  and  under  foot 
skylights  should  invariably  be  of  substantial  wire  glass  of  extra  thick- 
ness for  durability  and  fire  protection. 

Roof  House  and  Roof  Garden. 

A  roof  house  of  one  room  and  a  roof  garden  might  connect  with 
a  prophet's  chamber,  leaping  from  questionable  experiment  to  a 
glorious  success,  but  because  of  limitations  should  be  worked  out  on 
a  flat  roof  Moorish  house. 

The  scheme  of  a  Colonial  one  room  cottage  screened  'mid  vines 
and  fronted  by  a  small  old-fashioned  garden  placed  on  a  cement  floored 
flat  roof  lifted  in  a  measure  above  the  turmoil  of  earth,  made  an 
ever  remembered  guest  room. 

Iron  roofs  and  sides  for  outbuildings  unless  kept  thoroughly 
painted  readily  succumb  to  rust  and  decay,  and  are  more  suited  to 
commercial  purposes  except  in  an  inexpensive  garage. 

Timbering,  Framing,  Etc. 

Proper  sizing  of  timber  goes  a  long  way  toward  preventing  wavy 
floors  and  uneven  side  walls,  and  when,  as  is  often  the  case  in  the 
attic,  there  is  but  one  floor,  it  is  vastly  improved  by  the  usual  method 
of  selecting  the  best  boards  from  the  large  quantity  of  sheathing  used 
for  under  floors,  siding,  and  other  portions  of  the  house. 

Floor  beams  set  in  a  brick,  stone,  or  cement  wall  should  be  cut 
at  an  angle  to  insure  their  falling  without  prying  out  the  wall  in 
case  of  fire.  This  treatment  also  checks  dry  rot. 

If  metal  bridging  is  used,  it  must  be  supplemented  with  wood, 
which  hugs  closer  and  firmer,  and  cannot  rust.  Thorough  strutting 
of  timbers  is  imperative. 

Tie  beams  at  plate  line  and  in  gables  should  be  plentiful,  and 
crippling  cross-herringboned.  It  makes  firmer  bracing,  and  in  shrink- 
ing holds  better  than  wrhen  set  straight.  Doubling  every  third  or 
fourth  beam  when  a  span  is  from  eighteen  to  twenty  feet  is  necessary 
and  makes  a  stronger  girt  or  girder  than  single  beams  of  equal  size, 
each  piece  of  wood  having  a  different  grain.  They  should  be  slightly 
crowned  to  allow  for  the  usual  sagging.  Scantlings,  purlins, 
and  wall  and  roof  plates  must  be  of  suitable  size,  and  free  from 


316  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

shakes,  and  studding  well  toe-nailed.  Bridle  irons  on  floor  beams, 
strap  irons  on  rafters,  and  tie  rods  through  plates  are  essential  safe- 
guards. 

Cutting  and  tenoning  of  timber,  unless  done  with  judgment, 
often  defeats  its  purpose  by  weakening  the  support,  but  all  joinings 
of  plate  and  sill  should  be  halved. 

The  cantilever  principle,  as  well  as  the  under  brace,  will  make 
the  porch  sleeping  room  reaching  into  tree  top  or  open  absolutely 
secure. 

Overhang,  whether  in  roof  or  veranda  flooring,  adds  valuable 
area  with  the  same  foundation  expense.  Nailing  of  bridging  to  both 
sides  of  floor  beams  is  left  until  just  before  plastering  to  fasten  floor 
beams  when  and  where  they  have  shrunk. 

If  one  objects  to  iron  beams,  which  in  all  cases  cannot  be  satis- 
factorily fastened  to  wood,  Georgia  pine  girders  may  be  substituted. 
A  flitch  or  sandwich  beam  made  of  either  one  or  two  three-eighth 
inch  iron  plates  twelve  inches  in  width  firmly  bolted  each  side  of  or 
between  the  girders  or  beams  their  entire  length  stiffens  a  building 
tremendously,  and  trusses  made  from  one  inch  iron  rods  set  up  with 
a  turnbuckle  placed  between  two  by  twelve  inch  planks  well  bolted 
together  have  the  same  effect. 

The  ends  of  house  rafters  and  pergolas  look  better  if  in  some- 
what similar  design  and  false  rafter  ends  close  jointed.  In  a  house 
of  superior  build,  outside  studs  should  be  two  by  six,  or  three  by  four. 

If  cramped  for  closet  space,  studs  can  be  set  flatwise  unless  they 
support  floor  timbers.  Under  no  circumstances  should  timber  ends 
be  completely  embedded  in  solid  masonry.  If  the  end  of  a  timber 
is  hermetically  sealed,  the  chance  of  infective  dry  rot  exists  and  is 
almost  a  certainty  where  there  is  dampness.  A  small  air  space  at  the 
timber  end  is  a  necessary  safeguard. 

The  furring  down  of  ceilings  in  bathrooms,  even  as  low  as  seven 
feet,  will  make  them  compact  and  more  easily  heated  beside  giving 
an  overhead  space  for  open  or  secret  closets,  and  allowing  of  tiling 
to  ceiling  line  at  slight  additional  expense.  This  satisfactorily  settles 
the  difficult  question  of  how  to  treat  bathroom  walls  and  also  avoids 
capping  the  tiled  wainscot.  Projecting  crowning  tile  is  liable  to  be 
laid  irregularly  and  in  time  works  loose. 

Diagonal  board  exterior  walls  (provided  there  are  not  too  many 
openings),  bringing  boards  together  in  the  shape  of  a  V,  forming 
an  additional  side-thrust  brace.  In  a  gambrel  roof  this  treatment  is 
especially  desirable  as  it  is  weak  construction  until  firmly  braced. 
In  smaller  buildings  preference  may  be  given  to  balloon  construction 
with  ledger  board  supports  notched  in  studding  instead  of  braced 
frame  and  plates. 


GUTTER  PROBLEM  317 

In  some  localities  diplomacy  is  required  to  banish  alcohol,  and 
keep  the  men  contented  when  the  evergreen  roof-tree  nailed  to  the 
ridge  proclaims  that  the  roof  is  raised,  but  a  small  present  generally 
solves  this  difficulty. 

Floors. 

Diagonal  the  rough  floor  as  in  sheathing.  It  means  more  labor 
and  material,  but  gives  a  far  better  braced  building,  a  firmer  grip  on 
finish  floor,  and  there  is  less  chance  of  buckling  or  getting  out  of  shape 
than  when  both  floors  are  laid  straight. 

The  accurate  furring-up  of  an  uneven  under  floor  is  a  job  the 
mediocre  carpenter  invariably  shirks,  as  he  does  the  knee-aching  task 
of  scraping  the  finish  floor  surface.  Both  are  essential,  and  omission 
of  the  former  will  cause  even  furniture  of  the  best  construction  to 
appear  wobbly  and  a  poorly  finished  floor  makes  a  fine  dirt  gripper 
and  retainer. 

A  partial  over-floor  covering  either  of  expensive  half-inch  cork 
boarding  or  the  cheaper  cork  matting — both  non-absorbent  and  soft 
under  foot,  without  the  drawing  objection  to  rubber — will  ease  ach- 
ing feet  of  cook  and  laundress  and  take  the  chill  and  slip  out  of  a 
tiled  bathroom.  Service  room  floors  can  be  made  fireproof  with 
patent  cement  flooring.  Hardwood  floors  mean  from  one-half  to 
one-third  less  work  to  satisfy  good  housekeeping. 

Stud  crippling  midway  between  floor  and  ceiling  not  only  braces 
and  ties,  but  stops  fire  draught. 

Cut,  square  headed  nails  are  preferable  to  wire  for  flooring,  and 
blind  nailing  is  essential. 

The  effect  of  a  level  long  distance  floor  means  the  passing  of  the 
door  saddle,  that  retainer  of  dust,  disturber  of  carpets,  and  space 
shortener,  but  its  use  where  rugs  and  carpets  closely  edge  openings 
means  a  tighter  fitting  door.  If  the  mat  is  inset  there  is  no  conflict 
with  the  front  door. 

Convent  cell  and  hospital  ward  simplicity  should  in  a  measure 
guide  for  health  the  mind  that  plans  our  sleeping  rooms,  yet  com- 
fort must  reign. 

Sound  readily  carries  through  partitions  and  flooring  unless 
guarded  against,  hence  no  false  beams  should  be  placed  until  ceil- 
ings are  plastered,  nor  may  one  commit  the  error  of  having  the  floor 
or  floor  beams  of  one  story  form  the  ceiling  of  another.  Heavy  felt- 
ing between  floors  will  not  entirely  eliminate  noise. 

The  Gutter  Problem. 

If  the  concealed  cypress  gutter  is  used,  it  should  be  V-shape 
within  to  prevent  ice  from  splitting  it,  and  should  of  course  be  metal 
lined.  Leaks  occur  through  imperfect  roof  covering  and  sides  as  in 
split  shingle  and  clapboard,  in  outside  chimney  breast,  top,  bottom, 
and  sides  of  windows  and  doors,  in  carelessly  flashed  valleys  and 


318 

chimneys,  ventilating  pipes,  balconies,  and  clogged  gutters  and  occa- 
sionally even  in  the  opening  used  for  an  overflow  pipe  in  attic  storage 
tank. 

Copper  gutters  and  spouts,  preferably  sixteen  ounce,  properly 
fastened  to  a  house  and  deeply  grounded  in  the  moist  earth,  answer  the 
purpose  of  a  lightning  rod,  which  mars  the  appearance  of  any  build- 
ing, and  is  today  seldom  used,  as  it  is  a  questionable  protection. 

The  gutter  problem  is  surely  exasperating.  Ice,  dirt,  and  leaves 
choke  gutters  and  spout-heads  and  force  water  upward  and  sidewise 
under  shingles,  tile,  or  slate,  whence  through  cracks  it  percolates 
inward,  sometimes  from  a  long  distance,  marring  wall  and  ceiling, 
paper  and  tapestry  in  most  aggravating  fashion.  The  ugly  half  circle 
hanging  gutter  solves  this  problem,  but  unless  of  copper  rusts  about  as 
soon  as  the  arris  zinc-lined  cypress.  Crimping  a  leader  prevents  its  pos- 
sible bursting  from  ice.  Short  gutters  over  entrances,  and  a  shallow, 
turfed,  stone-underdrained  ditch  with  a  few  spout-heads  where  val- 
ley rivulets  clash  will  help  to  keep  inviolate  and  attractive  roof  con- 
tours— the  architect's  sacrificial  altar  and  most  sacred  fetich — and  is 
a  fairly  satisfactory  solution  of  a  serious  question. 

Chimneys  and  Fireplaces. 

It  is  difficult  to  realize  that  the  chimney,  a  roof-tree's  crowning 
glory,  was  unknown  in  Rome  before  the  Fourteenth  Century  and 
for  hundreds  of  years  in  England  the  louvre  or  roof  opening  was 
its  only  substitute. 

Grouped  or  big  stacked  chimneys  are  most  satisfactory,  and  the 
tall,  slim,  solitary  spindle  should  be  fattened  to  harmonize  with  a 
massive  structure,  in  fact,  the  ordinary  house  or  bungalow  is  often 
improved  by  a  stout  chimney. 

Chimneys  should  be  built  of  hard  brick  with  preferably  an 
eight-inch  wall,  or,  better  still,  two  four  inch  walls  iron-tied,  and 
with  a  two  inch  air  space  and  ample  ventilating  flues,  all  fire  flues 
being  tile  lined  and  tile  collar  joints  plastered  and  set  with  cement. 
The  crane,  if  one  is  to  be  used,  can  be  built  in  the  fireplace  while  the 
chimney  is  in  course  of  construction.  Cement  covered  chimneys,  and 
occasionally  brick,  are  apt  to  show  lime  efflorescence,  especially  in 
the  spring — removable  by  a  diluted  acid  bath.  Stone  or  terra  cotta 
combined  with  common  or  finished  brick  is  as  a  rule  very  satisfactory. 
A  scaling  cement  chimney  is  a  blot  both  on  the  landscape  and  the 
builder's  escutcheon.  Chimneys  built  above  the  ridge  with  cut 
broken  ashler  or  rubble  stone,  as  architectural  license  may  allow, 
require  special  care  in  flashing. 

The  best  sand  is  sharp  and  gritty,  its  face  unsmoothed  by  action 
of  the  sea  or  running  water,  and  should  not  contain  much  salt. 

Chimneys  draw  better  with  flue  lining  of  round  rather  than 
square  tile,  as  evidenced  by  experiments  in  certain  industries  requir- 
ing enormous  heat.  Foundations  should  be  carried  to  bed  rock  if 


CURE  FOR  SMOKING  FIREPLACES  319- 

possible,  or  at  least  to  hard  pan — in  this  case  having  cement  and 
rubble  foundation — and  below  frost  line.  The  chimney  breast  should 
be  furred  out  with  fireproof  lath  before  plastering  to  avoid  damp- 
ness and  discoloration  of  walls  and  decorations.  Thimbles  and  stop- 
pers in  cellar  and  garret  and  far  away  rooms  are  sometimes  a  con- 
venience. 

In  pointing  up,  excellent  exterior  effects  can  be  obtained  by  the 
use  of  gray,  red,  black,  or  white  mortar,  or  raked-out  joints  of  one- 
half  an  inch  in  depth  and  thickness  between  the  bricks,  as  preferred. 
Coal  efficiency  is  lessened  when  heating  flues,  especially  in  thin  chim- 
neys, are  allowed  to  hug  exterior  walls  too  closely. 

To  so  locate  a  chimney  as  not  to  clash  with  roof  lines  requires 
skill,  but  when  well  done  adds  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  house,  and 
he  wTho  studies  chimney  contours  and  makes  a  wise  selection  in  design 
and  color  will  be  well  repaid. 

The  rough  stone,  dust  collecting  chimney  is  frequently  a  dismal 
failure,  except  in  appearance,  and  is  suitable  only  for  porch  room, 
bungalow,  and  possibly  billiard  room  or  den.  It  can  be  made  useful 
and  ornamental.  Flues  should  be  from  ten  to  twelve  inches  in 
diameter,  and  all  crevices  thoroughly  filled  with  cement.  It  is  espe- 
cially necessary  to  use  tile  flues  in  stone  chimneys. 

In  fireplaces  width,  height  and  strength  in  design  and  material 
were  the  ear  marks  for  generations  until  the  discovery  of  coal  in  the 
Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  Centuries  dwarfed  and  narrowed  their 
beauty  as  the  era  of  grate,  stove,  and  furnace  dawned. 

It  is  a  convenience  if  fireplaces  are  provided  with  iron  covered 
ash  flues  and  connected  with  the  cellar,  but  the  outlet  must  be  care- 
fully guarded  from  rubbish,  which  increases  fire  hazard.  An  ash 
flue,  in  itself  a  convenience,  was  the  cause  of  one  of  our  most  disastrous 
fires.  The  man  of  all  work  carelessly  left  the  iron  cellar  flue  door 
open,  and  live  coals  reached  inflammable  debris.  A  cellar  fire  is  the 
worst  kind  of  a  fire,  and  when  fairly  started  leaps  under  favoring 
conditions  to  the  roof-tree  in  short  order.  Chimney  flues  should  be 
provided  with  iron  throats  and  dampers.  Building  a  fireplace  hearth 
above  the  level  of  the  floor  increases  fire  risk,  even  though  protected 
by  a  fender.  A  brick  partition  centreing  a  fireplace  is  a  novelty. 

In  forming  hearth  arches,  the  skew-back,  made  from  4x6  joist, 
halved  to  form  a  triangle,  should  be  nailed  against  the  two  long  sides 
of  the  hearth.  This  will  prevent  any  displacement  of  the  brick  arch 
through  shrinking  of  wooden  floor  beams. 

Cure  for  Smoking  Fireplaces. 

Chimneys  can  be  made  to  draw  by  having  a  narrow  opening  at 
flue  ingress,  and  providing  a  smoke  shelf,  not  less  than  six  inches 
wide  the  full  width  of  the  fireplace,  projecting  just  below  the  flue 
edging  the  fireplace  opening.  If  the  back  of  the  fireplace  is  curved 
outward  three  or  four  inches  at  the  top  toward  the  room,  air  thus 


320  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

forced  more  directly  over  the  flames  will  heat  quickly,  hence  rise 
rapidly  in  the  flue,  while  the  tendency  of  damp,  dead,  chimney  air 
to  sink  into  a  room  is  checked  by  the  flue  shelf,  and  hot  air  mixing 
with  it  forces  it  up  chimney.  Smoking  chimneys  can  be  made  to 
draw  with  this  treatment  if  fire  opening  is  not  over  high — say  two 
and  one-half  to  three  feet.  This  construction  also  conserves  heat.  A 
big  mouthed  and  big  flued  chimney  will  usually  draw  after  the  damp, 
cold  air  becomes  warm,  but  is  a  heat  waster  of  the  first  magnitude. 

A  deep,  broad-mouthed  fireplace  gives  wrarmth  and  paints  a 
glorious  seven-toned  wall  picture  that  gladdens  man's  inmost  being, 
but  often  makes  an  uncomfortably  draughty  room  as  it  pulls  the 
air  with  giant  force  up-chimney.  We  semi-shackled  the  draught,  as 
well  as  a  goodly  portion  of  the  ninety  per  cent,  heat  thus  lost,  by 
installing  an  iron  damper  and  baffles; — less  beauty,  less  flame,  more 
heat,  more  comfort. 

Use  without  abuse  of  the  health-yielding  chimney  and  stair  flue 
draught  is  true  beneficence,  for  disease  has  no  more  relentless  foe 
than  pure  air.  Forty  days  without  food  forty  years  ago  failed  to  kill 
Dr.  Tanner  who  at  this  writing  is  very  much  alive,  yet  four  minutes 
in  the  black  hole  of  Calcutta  when  it  reached  a  certain  condition 
would  have  immediately  changed  the  abiding  place  of  his  soul. 

A  Freak  Fireplace. 

One  of  our  experiments  possibly  open  to  objection  was  to  so 
arch  at  a  low  level  a  fireplace  between  two  gala  rooms  that  an  open 
fire  answered  for  both.  A  reredos  lowered  at  will  made  a  fire  back 
for  each  room,  and  gave  when  desired  seclusion  to  each,  as  well  as 
better  draught. 

Veranda  and  Conservatory. 

See  that  the  veranda  is  extended  beyond  the  house  wall  to  catch 
that  southwest  breeze,  and  build  an  open  balustrade  for  coolness. 

The  wide  covered  veranda  requires  a  flat  upper  balcony  pro- 
jecting from  side  wall,  a  metal  or  canvas  roof  under  these  conditions 
being  necessary.  In  fact,  it  is  good  planning  in  order  to  get  ample 
sun  and  light  in  winter  to  have  the  veranda  roof  high,  using,  if 
needed,  awnings  on  the  front  or  a  grille  to  annul  the  stilted  look  of 
a  high  flat  roof.  If  facing  south  or  east,  a  sun-room  or  second  story 
conservatory  on  this  roof  adds  in  comfort  and  appearance  far  more 
than  its  cost,  and  if  built  during  house  construction  is  an  inexpensive 
luxury. 

More  sunshine  will  be  obtained  if  the  outer  half  or  third  of  the 
veranda  roof  is  pergolad,  as  the  awning  can  be  rolled  back  on  cloudy 
days,  and  removed  in  winter.  Proper  bracing  and  cantilever  beaming 
make  it  feasible  to  construct  the  sun-room-addition. 

It  is  good  building  to  cover  the  floor  of  an  outdoor  balcony  with 
canvas,  as  on  a  steamer  deck,  laid  in  wet  paint  and  oil.  It  should  be 
fastened  with  copper  tacks.  One  we  thus  treated  is  still  in  good  con- 


VERANDA  AND  CONSERVATORY  321 

dition,  with  occasional  painting,  after  twenty-five  years'  wear.  Plat- 
forms of  concrete  laid  over  well  seasoned  timber  will  outlast  half  a 
dozen  wooden  floors,  but  should  be  reinforced  by  twisted  mesh  screen 
wire  of  at  least  one  eighth  to  one  quarter  inch  caliper ;  they  will  then 
be  independent  of  the  rough  wooden  under  flooring.  If  a  wooden 
floor  is  preferred,  white  pine  set  with  leaded  joints  and  painted  and 
with  the  usual  fall  to  each  foot  is  the  best.  Next  in  choice  comes  fir. 
North  Carolina  pine  if  exposed  to  the  weather  will  last  but  five  years 
and  sometimes  only  two  or  three. 

Glassing  in  the  porch  in  winter  is  today  almost  a  necessity,  and 
when  installing  the  heating  plant  extra  pipes,  including  water  pipes, 
which  can  be  capped,  should  be  laid  to  it  as  well  as  to  the  sun  room 
and  second  story  balcony  or  conservatory.  Radiators  can  at  any  time 
be  connected  at  moderate  expense  if  not  installed  in  the  beginning. 

Plastering. 

Whether  to  use  plaster  board  must  be  decided  according  to 
preference  and  season.  It  is  desirable  in  cold  weather,  or  if  crowded 
for  time;  a  barrel,  dome,  or  coved  ceiling,  however,  would  render  its 
use  impossible.  Beaver  board  has  limitations,  but  fits  well  into  the 
bungalow  realm.  One  gets  bracing  strength  in  a  wooden  lath,  though 
requiring  more  plaster,  but  wire  lath  is  along  fireproof  lines,  and 
curtails  warping  and  swelling.  Dry  wooden  lath  should  be  sprinkled. 

It  is  best  to  use  angle  irons  where  corners  are  not  rounded  in 
the  plaster,  relegating  to  the  past  the  acorn-tipped  corner  bead  or 
other  wooden  substitutes. 

All  walls  must  be  thoroughly  plastered  to  the  floor  and  wain- 
scoting, trim  and  woodwork — always  the  kiln  dried  species — painted 
on  the  back  before  being  nailed  in  place,  otherwise,  especially  on  an 
outside  wall,  panels  will  crack  and  warp.  It  goes  without  saying  that 
trim  placed  against  plaster  containing  any  moisture  is  a  building  crime. 

Lime  must  not  be  of  the  damaged  sort  that  pock  marks  and 
drops  off  in  small  specks.  The  mason  minus  a  conscience  or  care- 
less of  his  trust  will  often  use  too  little  plaster  of  paris  and  too 
much  lime  to  save  a  few  cents  in  gauging,  resulting  in  a  powdery 
wall  surface  that  rubs  off.  Freezing  produces  much  the  same  result. 
The  correct  mixture  of  hair  is  a  necessity,  but  patent  plaster  applied 
in  new  ways  is  rapidly  taking  the  place  of  old  material  and  methods. 
Sound  carriers  should  be  avoided. 

To  get  a  suitable  clinch,  one  must  insist  upon  enough  pressure  to 
force  plaster  through  the  crevices,  especially  on  wooden  lathing.  The 
first  coat  must  be  well  scratched  to  hold  the  second  or  brown  coat,  and 
the  finish  skim  coat  whether  the  job  is  two  or  three  coat  work,  evenly 
surfaced  to  show  a  smooth,  straight  edge  for  trim,  untrue  placing  of 
which  pillories  for  all  time  a  careless  mason.  Plastered  ceilings,  often 
dangerous  shams,  should  be  covered  with  canvas  or  burlap  before 
decorating,  eliminating  the  always  present  risk  and  possible  disaster 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

of  a  falling  ceiling,  but  if  plastered  with  wood  pulp  they  rarely  loosen. 
A  barrel  ceiling  is  unique  in  a  long  hall. 

Cement  can  be  used  instead  of  plaster  in  many  cases.  In  building 
walls  in  damp  ground  it  should  be  water-proofed  by  mixing  with 
crude  oil.  The  addition  of  salt  and  lime  makes  possible  its  use  in 
freezing  weather,  but  at  the  risk  of  the  salt  whitening  the  bricks. 

Plumbing. 

In  piping  for  plumbing,  right  angles  must  be  avoided.  Main 
pipes  should  go  perpendicularly  to  the  cellar,  then  at  draining  angles 
to  the  sewer.  As  far  as  feasible,  lateral  pipes  extending  any  distance 
should  be  ceiling  hung  in  the  cellar  in  plain  view.  Condensation 
on  pipes  in  a  large  house  is  about  a  quart  of  water  a  day  in  summer, 
and  any  crossing  the  house  in  a  horizontal  direction  are  liable  to  drip 
and  stain  ceilings  and  furnishings.  Pipes  should  be  placed  before 
floors  are  laid,  and  kept  close  to  chimneys  and  away  from  exterior 
walls  wherever  possible.  They  can  be  concealed  in  wooden  pockets 
in  closets,  kitchen,  and  back  halls.  Breaking  plaster  to  reach  them 
when  out  of  order  is  thus  rendered  unnecessary.  All  fixtures  should 
be  provided  with  free  outlets,  otherwise  annoying  overflow  may  occur 
in  basement  fixtures.  Galvanized  iron  pipes  should  be  painted.  Brass 
piping  under  laundry  tubs  is  the  most  satisfactory  aside  from  raising 
cupidity  in  the  tramp. 

There  should  be  extra  faucets  and  sill-cocks  on  porches,  as  well 
as  on  the  grounds,  and  at  least  one  non-freezing  outdoor  sill-cock, 
beside  a  number  of  cleanouts  in  and  outside  the  cellar,  wTith  accessible 
hand  and  manholes. 

Water  pipes  passing  through  or  near  outer  walls  should  be 
wrapped  in  mineral  wool  or  some  suitable  substitute,  as  protection 
against  frost.  Dripping  from  condensation  is  also  thus  checkmated. 

Shower  Jog. 

In  planning  a  bathroom,  lay  out  a  shower  jog.  A  space  about 
five  feet  square  between  two  closets,  one  in  bathroom,  the  other  in 
adjoining  bedroom  or  hall  gives  a  perfect  shower  and  needle  bath 
alcove,  the  three  sides  and  floor  being  tiled  or  cemented,  and  inex- 
pensively solves  the  knotty  problem  of  installing  a  shower. 

When  glass  traps  are  a  mechanical  possibility,  one  can  tell  at 
a  glance  if  air  bubbles,  downward  suction,  or  evaporation  have 
destroyed  the  vital  though  insignificant  looking  water  seal  that  holds 
in  leash,  except  under  undue  pressure,  sewer  gas,  that  most  virulent 
poison,  one  danger  from  our  modern  conveniences. 

The  latest  toilet  fixtures  are  nearly  noiseless  and  non-siphoning. 
A  safeguard  shut-off  close  to  a  toilet  is  a  wise  precaution. 

Four  inch  soil  pipe  in  the  ordinary  house  flushes  more  easily 
than  five  inch,  narrowing  to  a  swifter  current,  and  makes  a  better 


HEATING  323 

job.  If  properly  back-aired  four  inch  soil  pipes  with  fresh  air  inlet 
at  ground  surface  extend  from  cesspool  pipe  connection  well  above 
ridge  tree,  avoiding  all  window  openings:  they  are  satisfactory  venti- 
lators. Better  uptake  draft  is  secured  by  placing  them  next  to  the 
hot  water  pipes.  Stacks  must  be  perpendicular. 

Banish  the  set  basin  in  or  near  sleeping  rooms.  Inlet  water 
pipes  of  one  and  a  half  inches  allow  ample  supply  for  one  line  fix- 
tures, even  when  all  are  used  at  the  same  time,  and  two  inch  outlets 
add  but  little  expense  and  decrease  liability  to  stoppage. 

An  air  chamber  at  the  end  of  the  highest  pipe  line,  or  even  in 
the  cellar,  to  cushion  the  back-kick  of  quickly  shut-off  water  pre- 
vents many  an  annoying  leak,  and  with  high  water  pressure  is  almost 
a  necessity. 

Side  wall  instead  of  floor  connection  for  set  basins  makes  the 
best  job. 

Expensive  re-nickeling  of  fixtures  is  saved  by  rubbing  them 
bright,  then  covering  with  tried-out  unsalted  tallow  when  houses  are 
closed. 

Plumbing  spells  common  sense,  and  a  layman  can  easily  master 
its  seeming  intricacies. 

Heating. 

If  the  system  of  heating  is  hot  water,  an  open  expansion  tank 
is  a  complete  safety  valve,  frozen  and  leaking  pipes,  especially  in  far 
away  rooms  or  through  neglect  of  careless  servants,  being  the  only 
possible  objections,  except  extra  expense  of  installation  over  that  of 
steam,  which  if  used  should  be  the  safe  low-pressure  system.  Ham- 
mer noises  are  readily  controlled  by  low  pipe  connection.  Steam 
pipes  placed  close  enough  to  wood  and  paper  to  char  them  favor  con- 
ditions that,  fed  with  sufficient  oxygen,  may  result  in  spontaneous 
combustion,  in  spite  of  the  contrary  opinion  held  by  many,  and  is 
not  worth  the  risk. 

If  one  is  using  a  hot  air  heating  plant  or  indirect  radiation,  heat 
can  be  economized  in  windy  weather  by  feeding  air  to  the  furnace 
through  a  register  near  the  front  door  sill.  This  furnishes  semi- 
heated  air,  and  is  of  course  in  addition  to  the  regular  cold  air  box, 
which,  to  give  best  results,  should  face  at  least  three  points  of  the 
compass.  It  took  two  fires  to  convince  me  that  cold  air  boxes  should 
be  metal  rather  than  wood. 

Over  heating  a  hot  air  furnace  is  prevented  by  permanently 
fastening  one  register  open,  preferably  in  the  hall.  Carelessly  con- 
nected pipes  at  the  furnace  mean  danger  of  breathing  sulphurous 
oxide  or  monoxide  gas,  even  five  per  cent,  of  carbon  dioxide,  the 
choke  or  black  damp  of  the  mine,  endangering  health,  if  not  life. 

Heating  economy  calls  for  boiler  and  fire  box  larger  than  the 
cubic  feet  of  the  area  to  be  heated  figure.  To  cover  all  require- 
ments, there  are  boilers  that  admit  of  additional  sections  being  added. 


324  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

Wrought  iron  boilers  lose  their  efficiency  through  formation  of  scale, 
especially  if  the  cellar  is  damp — an  entirely  unnecessary  evil.  Cast 
iron  boilers  are  better  in  this  respect,  but  we  are  losers  in  both  health 
and  money  when  we  allow  dampness,  that  insidious  foe,  to  get  the 
upper  hand. 

If  windows  exceed  one-eighth  of  the  wall  area,  the  heating  plant 
must  be  proportionately  larger.  Lack  of  care  in  setting  window  and 
door  frames,  a  very  common  error,  increases  heating  expense. 

Trim. 

Trim  covers  a  wide  latitude.  Narrow  trim  is  often  more  effec- 
tive than  wide  and  thin.  One  extreme  is  a  thick  trim,  scarcely  wider 
than  a  narrow  picture  frame.  A  very  satisfactory  door  and  window 
trim  is  an  ogee  curve  mitred  at  corners.  Care  must  be  taken  that 
this  form  of  molding  should  be  exceptionally  well  kiln  dried,  as 
joints  will  more  readily  show  and  require  greater  skill  in  mitreing. 
Plain  work  is  preferable  as  a  rule  to  elaborate  beading,  which  is 
another  dust  gatherer. 

Fumed  and  chemically  eaten  wood  are  both  suitable  for  a  den. 

In  boudoir  or  drawing  room  the  intarsiatura  work  of  the  Fif- 
teenth Century  in  door  casing  and  window  head  or  a  combination  of 
jig-saw  and  hand  chisel  work  is  satisfactory,  and  can  be  made  to 
closely  imitate  carving.  Plain  trim  is  preferable  for  servants'  quar- 
ters, kitchen,  and  laundry. 

In  main  rooms  without  wainscot,  baseboards  eighteen  inches 
high  add  in  appearance  more  than  the  difference  in  cost,  and  give 
the  ample  base  plug  space  which  good  work  demands.  Where  style 
of  room  allows,  the  Colonial  dental  may  edge  beam  and  cornice,  but 
the  square  set  corner  block  formerly  used  to  cover  joints  should  be 
omitted  and  trim  mitred  in  one  of  the  several  methods  now  in  use. 

We  found  that  the  carpenters,  especially  in  cabinet  work,  set- 
ting up  trim  and  building  in  stairs,  made  better  mitres  and  closer- 
knit  joints  during  the  clear  atmosphere  of  fall  and  winter  than  in 
damp  spring  or  muggy,  moisture-laden  dog-days. 

The  temptation  to  apply  to  indoor  uses  material  appropriate  only 
for  exteriors,  as  exampled  in  a  shingled  interior  wall  and  mantel 
hood,  rough  bouldered  stone  partition,  or  a  wooden  latticed  wall  in 
a  billiard  room,  should  be  conquered.  Beside  being  in  questionable 
taste,  they  are  dust  collectors  of  the  rankest  kind. 

Closets  and  bays  make  good  safety  valves  for  ugly  square  box- 
like  rooms,  and  the  former  are  excellent  noise  barriers.  If  rooms  are 
connected,  doors  each  side  of  and  flush  with  separating  partition  solve 
the  noise  difficulty. 

A  second  story  windowed  trunk  closet  sometimes  saves  steps  and 
dented  stair  and  hall. 


TRIM  325 

Verdure-crowned  Lintel. 

One  of  the  most  pleasing  ornaments  for  an  entrance  was  made 
by  leaving  an  exterior  opening  two  feet  high  in  the  house  wall  over 
the  door  lintel  the  entire  width  of  the  doorway,  forming  a  unique 
fronton  by  glassing  it  without  and  within,  in  reality  a  zinc-lined  giant 
wardian  case.  Planted  with  ferns  and  red-berried  plants,  it  rarely 
required  watering.  In  cold  weather  the  inner  hinged  glass  was  raised. 

One  dining  room  had  a  rectangular  shaped  skylight  so  located 
as  to  be  mainly  in  the  shade.  In  the  oak  paneled  and  walled  sides 
reaching  nearly  to  ceiling  line  were  windows  set  five  feet  from  the 
floor.  At  one  end  of  the  room  was  a  tall  hooded  mantel,  at  the  other 
a  picture  windowed  bay,  and  lights  and  shadows  were  thus  evenly 
balanced. 

Beamed  Ceilings. 

Beamed  ceilings  are  preferably  composed  of  large  beams  which 
are  also  less  costly  to  build.  Beaming  where  side  walls  join  the  ceil- 
ing can  often  be  dispensed  with  and  a  cove  made  in  the  plaster.  Two 
big  cross  beams  set  well  apart  give  sturdy  strength  and  beauty 
unknown  in  a  cut  up  and  costly  paneled  ceiling,  while  cambered  beams 
in  a  high  studded  studio  or  billiard  room  often  transform  it  into  an 
imposing  hall. 

Plaster  ribbed,  decorated  beams,  though  expensive,  give  an  air 
of  elegance.  They  may  also  be  made  two  or  even  three  feet  wide 
and  edged  with  wood. 

Another  good  overhead  treatment  can  be  obtained  with  beams 
paralleling  the  four  sides  and  placed  a  couple  of  feet  from  the  side 
wall  which  is  also  beamed  where  wall  and  ceiling  join.  From  these 
short  beams  spaced  in  proportion,  the  long  ones  are  tied  together, 
leaving  a  blank  space  in  ceiling  centre  for  decoration. 

A  wooden  ceiling,  if  not  of  stereotyped  T.  &  G.  beaded  stuff,  is 
a  desirable  finish  and  eliminates  all  risk  of  falling  plaster. 

Stairs. 

The  stair-builder  at  times  harks  back  to  the  tortuous  winding 
stair  of  the  early  Gothic,  coeval  with  the  unpretentious  stair  of  early 
France  and  Germany,  surpassed  even  in  that  day  by  the  beauty  of  the 
broad,  severe  lined  and  dignified  marble  staircase  of  Italy. 

The  staircase  hall  often  makes  or  mars  the  house,  and  the  prob- 
lem of  stair  building  is  intricate. 

A  featured  hall  or  stair,  or  both;  the  entrance  room  square  or 
rectangular,  with  side  or  inner  stair  alcove  partially  concealed ;  the 
comparatively  narrow  staircase  or  a  broad  steamer  or  platformed 
affair  eating  well  into  the  hall  area,  are  work-outs  worthy  the  best 
planning. 


326  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

To  dissect  still  more  closely,  stairs  need  not  link  the  entrance 
door  with  the  bathroom,  and  the  thoroughfare  to  the  front  door 
should  not  be  through  living  rooms.  The  architect's  conception  must 
tie  conveniently  together  hall,  door,  window,  stair,  and  fireplace. 

To  get  the  proper  height  for  a  stair  step,  the  width  of  step 
plus  height  should  equal  the  ordinary  walking  stride.  Seven  inches 
is  good  riser  height.  An  abnormal  increase  of  step  width  is  awkward 
and  uncomfortable  and  any  pronounced  infringement  of  the  above 
rule  makes  an  undesirable  stair.  Too  wide  a  step  is  as  inconvenient 
as  too  high  a  tread  and  should  not  be  used,  unless  a  short,  wide  flight 
is  needed  to  give  an  imposing  entrance  to  hall  or  salon.  Seven  by 
nine,  totaling  sixty-three  inches,  is  good  stair  mathematics.  The 
close  string  staircase  admits  of  more  substantial  and  richer  treatment 
than  the  common  cut-string  stair  so  universally  used  in  cottage  and 
bungalow. 

The  baluster  Colonial,  the  carved  Jacobean,  the  ogived  Gothic, 
as  well  as  marble  step  and  metal  balustrade,  to  the  manor  born 
and  appropriately  used,  add  their  quota  to  stairway  motifs. 

The  rail,  whether  with  Colonial  ramp  or  heavily  carved,  should 
be  three  feet  six  inches  high  to  protect  alike  childhood  and  age.  The 
side  view  of  a  staircase  is  generally  the  most  interesting.  In  several 
houses  curlicues  ornamented  the  outside  of  each  step,  and  one  low 
staircase  wainscot  was  heightened  by  a  line  of  uniformly  framed 
pictures. 

An  awkward  second  story  hall  is  obviated  by  a  bayed  and 
settled  window  nook,  a  divaned  book  alcove  leading  to  a  balcony, 
a  second  story  conservatory,  or  a  prosy  but  essential  sewing  corner — 
in  fact,  a  bit  of  foresight  will  often  change  an  ugly  landing  or  an 
angular  entry  into  a  useful  and  beautiful  hall.  Ugly  falls  are  pre- 
vented by  mid-stair  platforms,  absence  of  winders,  and  ample  head 
room. 

That  half  a  loaf  is  better  than  none  applies  aptly  to  the  half- 
back service  stair,  though  a  house  of  any  pretensions  should  have  noth- 
ing giving  less  seclusion  than  a  full  flight  of  back  stairs,  at  least  to 
the  second  story. 

Painting. 

Paint  is  not  always  a  wood  protector.  Green  wood  hermetically 
sealed  with  paint  sponsors  dry  rot.  Old,  unpainted  houses  prove  that 
air  is  the  great  preservative.  Oxygen  in  the  lungs  of  men  or  in  the 
depths  of  matter  lengthens  life,  while  confined  moisture  is  a  destroyer. 
Any  paint  that  does  not  contain  sufficient  pure  oil  to  withstand  a  fair 
amount  of  soap  and  water  scrubbing  is  not  worth  the  labor  of  putting 
on. 

Color  matching,  whether  paint  or  stain,  as  seen  in  roof  and  side 
wall  or  in  the  interior  on  ceiling,  wall,  trim,  doors,  window  frames, 
stairs  and  floors,  is  important.  Rarely  is  a  large  house  built  but, 
through  carelessness  of  owner,  architect,  or  painter,  the  wrong  stain 


KNOW  YOUR  HOUSE  THOUGH  UNBUILT      327 

or  paint  is  used  on  new  wood  to  the  annoyance  of  all  concerned,  and 
the  damage  once  done  is  never  completely  remedied. 

Save  where  hygiene  calls  for  white  enamel  paint  in  kitchen  and 
laundry,  or  prevailing  style  arrogantly  dictates  its  use  in  bedroom  or 
gala  room,  woodwork  may  be  treated  with  non-odorous  stain  and 
pumice  stone,  a  finish  that  neither  soils  nor  perishes  under  dust,  fric- 
tion, or  blow. 

Real  instead  of  imitation  should  be  the  endeavor,  whether  in 
plain  chestnut  or  Georgia  pine  nature  graining,  but  never  the  spurious 
quartered  oak  produced  with  hand,  brush  and  cloth. 

Blinds. 

Seemingly  a  simple  matter,  but  neither  ordinary  nor  extraordi- 
nary blinds  harmonize  with  picturesque  oriel  casements,  broad  and 
lofty  grouped  embrasured  English  windows,  and  mullioned  triplets. 
The  list  from  \vhich  to  choose  includes  the  Colonial  crescent-peep-eye 
shutter,  the  somewhat  insecure  pent-roof-blind  either  full  length  or 
with  hinged  centre  joint,  the  roll-up-in-pocket  top  or  bottom  blind, 
the  aggressive  and  unconcealed  sliding  blind,  the  full-slatted  whole, 
half,  or  cut-in-centre  blind,  the  regular  stock  blind  with  moving 
or  stationary  slats,  and  that  final  anchorage,  Venetian  blinds.  Interior 
pockets  for  solid  paneled  or  slat  shutters  give  character  to  any 
dwelling. 

It  is  a  disjointed  selection,  both  within  and  without,  but  the 
Venetian  blind  may  prove  a  mainstay,  though  given  to  wind  sway- 
ing propensities. 

New  and  better  ways  of  doing  things  are  not  necessarily  more 
expensive ;  in  fact  they  often  make  for  economy.  For  instance,  it  costs 
but  little  more  to  put  a  sanitary  base  in  the  kitchen  and  laundry,  and 
it  is  absolutely  vermin-proof  and  a  complete  phaser  to  rat  or  squirrel. 
Artistic  triplicate  windows  cost  less  to  make,  set,  and  trim  than  do 
separate  windows.  Bays  at  the  time  of  building,  are  inexpensive,  and 
often  a  fifty  per  cent,  improvement.  A  \vell  lighted  stairway  is  an 
essential,  and  a  curving  line,  often  a  paying  luxury. 

Red  birch  that  some  builders  cannot  distinguish  from  mahogany 
when  finished,  costs  no  more  than  many  common  woods. 

A  plaster  wall  is  but  little  more  expensive  than  wood  filled, 
shellacked,  and  re-treated  every  few  years,  and  is  far  superior  save 
when  wood  paneling  or  wainscoting  is  placed  over  plaster. 

In  building  for  sale,  selling  points  are  often  more  in  evidence 
than  essential  fundamentals,  and  get-it-in-at-all-hazard  features  fre- 
quently mar  a  unique  design. 

How  to  Know  Your  House  Though  Unbuilt. 

As  a  preliminary,  batten-board  the  site,  then,  before  breaking 
ground,  line  off  first  and  second  stories  on  the  greensward.  White 
and  colored  whitewash  wrill  differentiate  each  room.  Without  spend- 


328  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

ing  a  dollar,  the  exact  bearing  a  part  has  to  the  whole  and  all  view 
points  within  and  without  can  be  thoroughly  grasped. 

By  the  following  plan,  an  amateur  can  tell  in  still  closer  detail, 
providing  he  gives  the  necessary  time  to  studying  results,  just  how  the 
new  house  will  work  out,  even  to  the  smallest  item,  before  the  cellar 
has  been  dug.  This  is  something  that  neither  architect  nor  builder, 
with  a  lifetime  of  experience,  ever  really  knows  in  its  entirety  before 
completion ;  much  less  can  he  explain  it  to  another  if  the  house  is 
elaborate. 

As  the  builder  of  an  ocean  liner  turns  out  from  his  model  room 
a  miniature  vessel  before  its  keel  is  laid,  so  let  the  housebuilder  lay 
out  his  home. 

The  one  hundred  or  more  dollars  it  might  cost  would  be  off- 
set by  the  prevention  of  even  one  glaring  error.  A  cabinet  maker 
or  journeyman  can  readily  be  found  who  will  work  overtime  if 
necessary,  modeling  from  plans  of  the  architect  a  complete  archetype 
of  a  miniature  house  in  plaster  or  wood,  preferably  the  latter,  on 
account  of  durability  and  light  weight,  or  the  entire  house  can  first 
be  worked  out  in  cardboard.  An  l/&  scale  conveys  the  best  idea  of 
proportion. 

It  might  be  built  in  sections,  so  that  each  detail  can  be  closely 
scrutinized  or  may  only  be  skeletonized  to  attain  a  fairly  satisfactory 
result.  It  could  be  set  on  library  table  and  taken  to  pieces  and  put 
together  again  as  readily  as  one  dissects  a  wooden  puzzle.  In  this 
way  details  of  general  construction,  number,  size  and  location  of 
rooms,  position  and  number  of  doors  and  windows ;  relative  height 
of  ceilings,  vistas  both  in  and  out  of  doors — even  the  most  convenient 
side  to  hang  a  door,  a  minor,  but  often  important  detail, — can  be 
settled,  and  the  front  door  in  design  and  coloring  is  well  worth  exact 
duplication.  (The  entrance  door  of  feudal  England  was  a  narrow 
one-at-a-time  door,  contrasting  sharply  with  our  wide  doors  of  the 
present  day,  every  line  of  which  should  express  hospitality.  Prior 
to  the  Sixteenth  Century  a  paneled  door  was  unknown.  The  earliest 
were  pivoted  at  the  centre.)  Even  the  number  and  style  of  stairways 
can  all  be  studied  and  re-studied,  and  when  this  miniature  house  has 
served  its  mission  it  can  be  riveted  together  and  handed  down  as  a  toy 
house  to  gladden  the  hearts  of  children  of  more  than  one  generation, 
and  photographs  of  a  completed  property  shown  before  the  lifting  of 
a  pick-axe. 

How  to  Partition  a  House  in  One  Day. 

Closely  allied  to  the  above  plan,  and  of  so  little  cost  that  it 
should  be  tried,  even  in  the  least  expensive  dwelling,  is  the  follow- 
ing method  that  I  have  used  to  get  acquainted  with  the  nooks  and 
corners  of  a  house  before  it  is  much  more  than  framed  and  enclosed, 
therefore  in  ample  time  to  make  any  changes  desired,  and  make 
them  in  the  most  economical  manner.  After  the  house  has  been 


PARTITIONING  A  HOUSE  IN  ONE  DAY          329 

raised,  roofed,  sided  and  roughly  floored,  and  the  main  carrying 
partitions  placed,  procure  a  quantity  of  plasterers'  grounds — say  %  x 
%  stuff — that  will  readily  bend.  These  long,  straight,  slender 
wooden  sticks  some  sixteen  or  eighteen  feet  in  length  are  flexible 
and  so  light  in  weight  that  half  a  dozen  can  easily  be  clasped  in  the 
hand,  and  set  up,  lined  and  spaced  two  or  three  feet  apart  and  lightly 
tacked  at  floor  and  ceiling  line.  In  this  way  can  be  shown  experi- 
mentally changes  of  all  kinds,  and  how  they  would  affect  the  arrange- 
ment of  furniture,  radiators,  or  electric  fixtures,  settle  the  location 
of  a  possible  closet,  an  extra  semi-partition  carried  to  the  frieze  line 
of  an  inglenook,  or  outline  the  radical  shifting  of  side  walls  in  some 
room  showing  squared  ugliness  when  it  should  be  nooked  or  cosy- 
cornered.  These  slender  pieces  of  wood  can  be  bent  to  outline  arches, 
place  balconies,  curve  overhead  openings,  mark  out  a  flying  arch 
under  stair  soffit,  segment  the  ceiling  of  a  dining  room  or  barrel  that 
of  a  long  hall  and  bathroom,  groin  a  vaulted  roof,  locate  columns, 
pilasters,  and  spandrels,  steal  an  extra  bathroom  from  some  barn- 
like  room,  or  arrange  alcoves  or  ambrys  at  either  end ;  line  a  stair- 
wTindow-seat  on  a  landing,  widen  a  stair  opening,  lower  a  ceiling — 
even  change  and  rearrange  the  layout  of  an  entire  floor,  and  prove 
beyond  peradventure  whether  the  billiard  room  is  not  a  trifle  too 
narrow,  a  common  error.  If  a  partition  is  to  be  moved,  it  can  be 
tried  out  in  this  simple  way,  to  least  interfere  with  door  or  window. 
This  method  will  boudoir  a  bedroom,  corner-cove  or  ceiling-cove  a 
drawing  room  (or,  as  it  was  originally  called,  a  withdrawing  room), 
change  an  opening  or  an  entrance,  show  different  effects  and  settle 
one's  preference  for  a  round  or  square  column,  a  square  headed 
opening  or  a  Roman,  Tudor,  or  Gothic  arch,  for  there  is  nothing 
so  convincing  as  ocular  demonstration.  It  will  locate  to  an  inch  the 
ceiling  beams  in  connection  with  window  and  door  openings — some- 
times a  difficult  proposition,  though  it  looks  simple  enough  to  the 
novice.  Faulty  construction  is  always  an  annoyance  if  realized,  and 
if  once  known  will  be  realized  for  life.  By  the  use  of  these  sticks  it 
may  be  prevented  and  features  kept  in  proper  balance.  In  like 
manner  each  mantel  in  the  house  can  be  laid  out,  deciding  whether 
it  shall  be  high,  low,  or  hooded;  with  square  or  rounded  edges,  built 
half  way  or  to  the  ceiling  or  cabinet-lockered.  Proper  height  and 
width  of  plate  shelf,  whether  best  lined  with  door  and  window  trim 
or  above  or  below  it,  and  other  numberless  details  can  be  more  easily 
settled  in  this  way,  and  sticks  left  in  place  as  long  as  necessary  to 
arrive  at  final  conclusions.  The  house  that  in  the  morning  had  but 
a  roof,  four  sides  and  a  few  carrying  partitions,  by  night  can  be  ready 
for  inspection,  so  far  as  division  of  rooms  and  general  effect  are  con- 
cerned. 

These  same  slender  strips  of  wood  also  aid  in    the  inexpensive 
laying  out  of  extra  verandas,  bays,  and  projections,  avoiding  encroach- 


330  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

ments  on  some  interesting  view,  and  transforming  jarring  effects  to 
those  of  harmony. 

The  last  word  in  building  is  never  spoken — new  methods  of 
construction  are  frequently  advocated  by  the  experimentally  inclined 
architect  and  builder  and  sometimes  prove  aggravating  failures — com- 
mon sense  makes  the  best  guiding  rudder. 

Building  Fundamentals. 

The  "do  it,"  and  "don't  do  it,"  in  building  are  legion,  but  a  few 
fundamentals  should  be  rightly  settled : — Do  not  build  too  close  to 
the  highway  or  at  a  lower  level ;  the  only  excuse  for  the  latter  is 
to  obtain  the  sunken  garden,  bird's-eye  view  effect  across  the 
lawn  from  the  highway,  in  which  case  the  land  should  slope  away 
from  the  rear  of  a  house,  and  if  abruotly  all  the  better. 

A  trolley  and  automobile  traveled  turnpike  are  desirable  for 
the  rear  entrance  to  an  estate,  but  freedom  from  noise,  dust  and  com- 
mercialism decrees  that  one  should  never  front  it,  unless  the  house  is 
placed  n-ell  back  from  the  roadway.  A  dusty  highway  seriously 
retards  the  growth  of  vegetable  and  flower,  but  parlor  floor  roadways 
banish  the  dust  nuisance. 

Just  right,  in  mixture,  mode  of  application  and  use  of  cement 
and  reinforced  corcrete  in  house  building  is  the  key  note  to  prevent 
its  crumbling,  cracking  and  breaking.  Discoloration  and  absorption 
of  moisture  by  cement  are  difficult  problems  to  solve.  The  drying 
out  of  a  house  through  heat  and  non-damp  breezes  is  a  necessity, 
requiring  months  to  do  it  thoroughly  and  the  reprehensible  habit 
of  covering  walls  and  ceilings  with  a^y  substance  before  this  is 
accomplished  prolongs  the  drying  out  process  for  a  long  period  and 
foundations  many  an  ill. 

If  your  roof  is  inartistically  high,  drag  it  down  with  a  wide 
overhang  and  suitable  color  treatment  and  insist,  in  spite  of  some 
architect's  bias  for  an  unbroken  roof  contour,  on  enough  dormer 
and  gable  windows  to  thoroughly  light  that  third  story,  even  if  you 
don't  finish  its  interior  aside  from  the  necessary  bracing  and  support- 
ing rough  partitions. 

The  time  will  surely  come  when  that  third  floor  will  make  all 
the  differe-ce  between  comfort  a"d  discomfort,  aid  possibly  the 
selling  of  the  property — an  hour  tchich  come';  to  all  property — at  a 
substantial  profit  or  a  disastrous  lo«s.  If  VOM  build  servants'  rooms 
on  the  second  story,  locate  partitions,  wirdows,  and  doors  in  such  a 
manner  that  they  will  make  suitable  guest  rooms  when  you  or  your 
successors  (in  later  years)  move  the  servants  higher  up.  and  frame 
the  timbering  so  that  if  necessarv  certain  partitions  can  be  removed 
and  stud  in  the  rough  for  future  doorways.  Alco  carry  main  plumbing 
and  heating  pipes  to  the  third  story,  capping  outlets. 

Roof  and  foundation  are  big  factors  in  the  cost  of  exterior  co*i- 
stri-ction.  Build  the  roof  to  avoid  an  undue  number  of  vallevs  and 


FIRE!  FIRE!  331 

angles  as  well  as  carelessly  constructed  balconies  that  mean  stained 
ceilings  and  falling  plaster. 

If  your  house  is  on  a  side  hill,  it's  just  the  house  for  a  generous 
billiard  room  in  the  basement,  where  an  immovable  cement  founda- 
tion makes  possible  a  permanently  spirit-leveled  billiard  table.  Here 
you  can  also  build  a  huge  stone  fireplace,  and  install  a  lavatory  with 
shower  for  the  golf  and  tennis  devotee,  but  fight  dampness  and  ground 
air  strenuously. 

Don't  forget  to  heavily  tar  and  also  ditch-drain  the  outside 
walls  where  they  are  buried  in  the  earth,  and  after  the  usual  cement 
floor  is  laid  and  well  dried  out,  fur  up  the  floor  to  have  at  least 
that  inch  air  space  between  the  cement  and  the  wooden  floor.  A 
copious  coating  of  tar  prevents  its  use  as  an  insect  lair.  Flooring  if 
laid  on  scantlings  directly  over  stone,  gravel,  or  earth,  even  if  air- 
spaced  will  swell  and  tear  asunder.  Failure  to  thus  checkmate  all 
•warring  forces  will  transform  your  attractive  billiard  room  into  a 
first  class  rheumatism  breeder,  if  not  an  assassin. 

FIRE!    FIRE! 

Five  times  in  twenty-five  years  in  Hillcrest  Manor,  that  weird, 
uncanny  cry  which  in  an  instant  transforms  some  types  of  humanity 
into  frenzied  beasts,  trampling  their  fellow  mortals  under  foot  in  the 
mad  effort  to  escape  an  agonizing  death,  echoed  back  from  the  hollow 
square  of  our  farm  buildings  and  across  hillside  and  meadow.  Thrice 
the  fire  was  smothered  before  the  leaping  flames  had  risen  breast 
high,  but  twice  the  fire  king  was  victorious.  Gables,  with  its  dozen 
hanging  balconies  and  verdure-canopied  verandas,  in  two  hours  was 
a  smouldering  heap  of  ashes,  the  occupants  barely  escaping  with 
their  lives.  Again,  the  highest  tiled  tower  of  Buena  Vista  was 
struck  by  lightning  but  the  heavy  downpour  quenched  the  flames.  Yet 
again,  the  stock  buildings,  carriage  sheds,  silo,  hennery,  The  Cot 
and,  woe  betide  us,  Wayside  itself,  stored  to  the  roof-tree  with  house- 
hold gods  and  heirlooms,  some  of  which  antedated  Colonial  days, 
vanished  in  smoke.  The  cause  (a  frequent  one),  the  careless  handling 
of  a  brushwood  fire. 

Across  the  valley  we  saw  beauteous  Alta  Crest,  transformed 
into  a  human  pyre,  pay  its  blood  curdling  tribute  to  this  same  relent- 
less conqueror,  and  many  times  on  summer  evenings  from  the  vantage 
ground  of  Hillcrest  the  darkness  of  night  was  brightened  by  sheets 
of  flame  devouring  hay-barn,  stack,  or  farm  house,  on  some  distant 
hill  or  in  near  by  valley.  Fire!  Fire!  Fire!  Expensive  object 
lessons  these  and  if  we  had  it  all  to  do  over  again,  we  would  plan 
along  lines  that  better  aid  in  fire  control. 

A  fire  line  stack  with  connecting  hose  should  be  installed  on 
every  floor  in  each  building,  and  piped  to  the  pressure  tank  or  reser- 
voir, chemical  fire  extinguishers  on  the  wall  wherever  needed  and  an 
extra  supply  stored  in  some  get-at-able  closet  where  also  should  hang 


332  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

blankets  which,  when  saturated  with  water,  make  rare  life  savers 
and  kerosene  fire-quenchers,  supplemented  with  a  few  buckets  filled 
with  sand.  Fire  axes,  fire  hooks,  crowbars  and  wire  rope  ladders 
should  be  fastened  against  the  walls  and  placed  on  upper  balconies. 
Ladders  of  different  lengths,  one  long  enough  to  reach  the  roof  at 
gable  end,  should  hang  from  hooks  under  the  sheltering  veranda  floor 
and  be  kept  for  this  one  purpose.  In  carpenter  shop  and  horse 
barns,  especially  should  be  installed  the  overhead  automatic  sprinkler, 
also  a  perforated  water  connected  galvanized  and  painted  pipe  the 
ridge  length  of  all  buildings.  A  thorough  roof-drenching  will  fre- 
quently give  fire  protection. 

First  Aids  to  the  Fire-Fighter. 

First  aid  instructions  to  the  amateur  fire  fighter  are  essential ; 
plain  simple  directions  as  to  location  of  apparatus,  what  to  do  and 
what  not  to  do,  tacked  up  where  he  who  runs  may  read — a  sort  of 
fire  catechism  and  it  wouldn't  be  a  half  bad  idea  to  have  an  occasional 
fire  drill  and  test  out  those  stand  pipes,  gain  speed  in  ladder  raising, 
inspect  fire  extinguishers,  etc.,  etc. 

This  first  aid  list  of  things  requiring  prompt  action  should  include 
closing  of  windows  and  doors,  especially  those  of  stairways,  shutting  off 
all  draughts  the  moment  a  fire  is  discovered.  A  full  pail  of  water  is 
difficult  to  handle,  and  only  through  practice  can  one  get  the  free 
circular  and  effective  sweep  throw.  A  water-saturated  broom  will 
do  great  execution.  If  it  is  a  curtain  or  bed  on  fire,  get  it  on  the 
floor  where  no  under  draft  can  fan  the  flames.  If  it's  soot  in  a  chim- 
ney, a  couple  of  pounds  of  salt  thrown  down  the  flue  forms  gases 
which  explode,  detach  the  soot,  and  keep  the  flames  from  entering 
any  crevices  between  the  bricks,  and  water  dashed  on  the  hearth  will 
finish  the  job.  Animal  and  vegetable  oils  are  often  responsible  for 
spontaneous  combustion  and  it  goes  without  saying  that  dirt  and 
rubbish,  especially  about  stairways  and  in  cellars,  are  fire  inducers. 
This  scheme  of  fire  fighting  would  include  say,  a  half  dozen  adja- 
cent neighbors  and  a  large  signal  gong  high  under  the  eaves,  while 
an  extra  number  of  chemical  tanks  on  wheels  to  rally  round  the 
flames  would  greatly  decrease  fire  hazard  and  under  some  conditions 
lessen  insurance  premiums. 

Mottoes. 

Mottoes  pivot  and  concentrate  thought  and  help  to  individualize 
estate,  house,  and  room.  From  the  following  gleaned  through  a 
score  of  years  were  selected  several  to  arch  fireplace,  and  centre  hall, 
library,  festive-board-room  and  boudoir. 

"Abide  now  at  home." 

"A  good  book  is  the  precious  life  blood  of  a  master  mind." 

"A  hundred  thousand  welcomes." 

"A  poor  thing,  but  mine  own." 


MOTTOES  333 

"A  storehouse  medicine  of  the  mind." 
"Au  dieu  foy  aux  amis  foyer." 
"Aux  livres  je  dois  tout." 
"Bene  facere  et  discere  vera." 
"Bepred  Diger." 

"Blessings  on  him  who  invented  sleep." 
"Bon  feu  a  mal  hiver." 
"Books  are  my  brave  utensils." 
"Books  that  are  books." 

"Come  blessed  barriers  betwixt  day  and  day 
"Come  hither,  come  hither; 

Here  shall  ye  see  no  enemy 

But  winter  and  rough  weather." 
"Come  sleep,  O  sleep,  the  certain  knot  of  peace." 

Dear  mother  of  fresh  joyous  health." 
"Drive  away  the  cold,  heaping  logs  on  the  hearth." 
"East,  west,  name's  best." 
"En  servant  les  autres  je  me  consume." 
"Fait  ce  que  voudrais." 

"First  think  out  your  work,  then  work  out  your  thought." 
"Goodness,  discipline  and  knowledge,  teach  ye  me." 
"Grow  old  along  with  me,  the  best  is  yet  to  be." 
"He  that  hath  a  house  to  put  his  head  in  hath  a  good  headpiece." 
"Heaven  trim  our  lamps  while  we  sleep." 

"Hearth  whose  good  cheer  warms  and  comforts  chilled  and  wor- 
ried humanity." 

"Hie  habitat  felicitas." 

"His  table  dormant  in  his  halle  alway  stood  ready,  covered  all 

the  longe  day." 

"Home  of  the  homeless,  friend  of  the  friendless." 

"Ignorance  is  the  curse  of  God,  knowledge  the  wing  whereby 

we  fly  to  heaven." 

"In  portu  quies." 

"In  this  my  house  I  live  at  ease  and  here  I  do  whate'er  I  please." 

"It  is  always  morning  somewhere  in  the  world." 

"Lay  up  seasoned  wood  while  you  may." 

"Le  faire  ou  bien  dire." 

"Let  good  digestion  \vait  on  appetite  and  health  on  both." 

"Let  me  not  to  the  marriage  of  true  minds  admit  impediment." 

"Let  not  one  babbling  dream  affright  our  souls." 

"Let  them  want  nothing  that  my  house  affords." 

"Music  when  soft  voices  die  vibrates  in  the  memory." 

"My  house,  how  little  you  may  be,  may  you  always  be  mine." 

"My  library  was  dukedom  large  enough." 


334  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

"Non  dormit  qui  custodit." 
"Paix  et  peu." 
"Pauca  sed  mea." 
"Piccola  si  ma  studiosa." 
"Qui  legit  regit." 
"Qui  uti  scitei  bona." 
"Quieti  et  musis." 
"Scripta  manet." 
"Sibi  et  amicis." 

"Sings  the  blackened  log  a  tune  learned  in  some  forgotten  June." 
"Sleep  dwell  upon  thine  eyes." 
"Sleep  that  knits  up  the  raveled  sleeve  of  care." 
"Sleep  that  shuts  up  sorrow's  eye." 

"Sleep,  that  which  makes  the  shepherd  equal  to  the  king,  and 
the  simple  to  the  wise." 

"Soft  touches  of  the  night  become  the  touches  of  sweet  harmony. " 
"Some  hae  meat  and  canna  eat 
And  some  wad  eat  that  want  it ; 
We  hae  meat  and  we  can  eat, 
And  sae  the  Lord  be  thankit." 

"Take  thou  of  me  smooth  pillows,  sweetest  bed,  a  chamber  deaf 
to  noise,  and  blind  to  light." 

"The  last  of  life  for  which  the  first  was  made." 
"The  man  that  hath  no  music  in  himself,  and  is  not  moved  by 
concerts  of  sweet  sounds  is  fit  for  treason,  stratagems,  and  spoils." 
"The  mantle  that  covers  all  human  thought." 
"The  ornaments  of  a  house  are  the  friends  who  visit  it." 
"Through  this  wide  open  gate  none  come  too  early,  none  too 
late." 

"Turn  the  key  deftly  in  the  oiled  wards,  and  seal  the  hushed 
casket  of  the  soul." 

"Usted  esta  en  su  casa." 
"Venitas." 

"Warm  ye  in  friendship." 
"When  friends  meet  hearts  warm." 

"When  the  world  is  cold  to  you,  go  build  fires  to  warm  it."   .  . 
"Wilt  thou  have  music?    Hark!    Apollo  plays,  and  twenty  caged 
nightingales  do  sing." 

"Your  presence  makes  us  rich." 

"Youth  is  but  thought  and  think  I  will, 
Youth  and  I  are  housemates  still." 

Gates  and  Barriers. 

Barriers  as  seen,  gates  and  fences  in  outlines,  material  and 
manner  of  construction  are,  like  chimneys,  seemingly  limitless.  If 
the  old  exist  where  the  new  should  abide,  it  is  the  owner's  bounden 
duty  to  change  them;  for  they  must  harmonize  with  the  new  house. 


GATES  AND  BARRIERS 

A  whiz-view  from  a  car  window  gives  a  slight  idea  of  the  possible 
variety,  as  one  can  easily  schedule  one  hundred  or  more  different 
styles  in  a  day,  from  the  upturned  stump,  riven  criss-cross  rail  and 
rough  bouldered  wall  of  the  pioneer  to  the  productions  of  famous 
architects. 

Hedges  range  from  the  shrub  and  tree  deciduous  as  seen  in 
privet  and  copper  beech  to  evergreens,  from  arbor  vitae  to  Norway 
spruce  and  hemlock,  and  there  is  a  complete  alphabet  of  form  and 
color  in  shrub,  tree,  stone,  brick,  tile,  bronze,  wire,  cast  and  wrought 
iron,  and  cement  with  various  combinations  thereof,  as  well  as  turf 
and  shrub-topped  walls,  their  crevices  filled  with  plants,  and  the 
whole  backed  by  luxurious  vernal  growth.  The  finicky  cobble  stone 
and  big  boulder,  the  rarely  beautiful  yet  inexpensive  rough,  open- 
jointed  broken  ashler,  with  plants  growing  in  and  over  it  and  vines 
climbing  along  its  sides  and  scrambling  atop — even  a  line  of  half 
buried  single  stones — all  make  good  boundaries.  A  wall  containing 
many  small  stones  can  be  lined  off  (with  or  without  lamp  black)  to 
give  a  solid  front  by  the  use  of  a  liberal  quantity  of  cement.  Building 
barriers  more  than  head  high,  so  that  the  passer-by  sees  but  a  black 
streak  of  hard  and  dusty  road  imprisoned  between  high  walls,  is  a 
selfish  attempt  to  shut  off  the  uplifting  view  of  an  earthly  paradise. 
In  the  parking  of  narrow  village  lots  one  realizes  the  true  democracy 
of  country  living,  "all  for  each  and  each  for  all,"  as  seen  in  views 
'cross  lawns  and  gardens  for  a  half  dozen  blocks  or  more,  under 
some  conditions  necessarily  restricted,  yet  but  slightly  marred  by 
vine-draped  wire  fences. 

Huge  privet  posts  squared  and  trimmed  as  true  as  blocks  of 
granite  or  sheared  into  pointed  or  globe-topped  pedestals,  for  eight 
months  are  living  masses  of  green. 

Barriers  are  well  worth  best  thought,  also  the  gates  that  pierce 
them,  whether  but  an  iron  chain,  riveted  and  hooked  into  single 
rough  boulders,  a  lofty  bronze  grilled,  lantern-centred  gateway,  one 
of  the  most  effective  forms  of  entrance,  or  a  stone  arch  beneath  the 
conning  tower  of  a  Norman  castle.  None  of  the  belongings  of  a 
dwelling  more  forcibly  herald  to  would-be  despoilers  or  trespassers 
ownership  and  possession  than  gates  and  barriers. 


336 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 


SZC015D  TIO«B   ri.Mt 


1 


JL, 


i  T!3! 


BELLERICA  OMB  HOUSE  OB  TWO 

PAIRVIBW 


11  -:, 


WHITE  HOCK 


TOT  RJUI  WHICH  QAVB 

T104T  roR  THE 


^B    Fl 


11 


TREE  TOP 


PLANS  WHICH  GAVE  MOST  FOR  THE  MONEY. 


INDEPENDENCE  WITHIN  TEN  YEARS          337 


CHAPTER  X. 

How  TO  BECOME  A  HOUSEHOLDER  WITH  TWENTY  TENANTS  IN 

YOUR  EMPLOY,  STARTING  WITH  A  CAPITAL  OF 

Two  THOUSAND  DOLLARS. 

NEW  YORK  CITY  is  to-day  surrounded  by  a  community  of 
rich  and  independent  farmers,  close  questioning  of  whom 
will  develop  the  fact  that  the  onion  patch  and  the  corn  and  potato 
field  did  not  produce  all  their  riches,  unless  exceptionally  located  as 
to  the  best  markets  and  under  most  favorable  labor  conditions. 

Improved  railroad  facilities  and  trolleys  bring  the  business 
man  and  the  city  clerk  to  the  farmer,  and  are  sometimes  his  main 
source  of  wealth.  In  other  words,  take  heed  to  the  object  lesson 
taught  by  the  farmer,  let  a  man  keep  his  clerkship  in  town  and  at 
the  same  time  buy  a  farm,  never  a  village  lot  that,  aside  from  the 
faint  prospect  of  business  inroads,  will  be  worth  no  more  in  ten 
years  than  it  is  the  day  of  the  purchase,  and  generally  less.  Let 
him  see  to  it  that  his  acres  front  some  roadway  that  within  five 
years  will  be  traversed  by  trolleys.  In  from  five  to  ten  years  at  least 
twenty  tenants  will  be  living  on  his  land  and  their  mortgages  will 
be  in  his  safety  box,  while  he  will  be  motoring  or  cruising,  with  just 
enough  work  in  the  laying  out  of  his  property  to  avoid  ennui  and 
the  constant  leisure  so  detrimental  to  the  average  man. 

My  experience  is  that  of  many  another  who  has  taken  the 
trouble  to  investigate.  The  scope  of  operations,  thanks  to  automobile 
and  trolley,  is  being  so  extended  that  there  are  many  opportunities 
for  large  profit  to-day  for  those  of  very  moderate  means.  For 
example,  I  know  of  a  section  within  an  hour  of  New  York,  where  in 
a  dozen  years  property  has  advanced  not  in  one,  but  hundreds  of 
instances  over  one  thousand  per  cent.,  without  expenditure  on  the 
part  of  the  purchaser  except  an  interest  charge  of  five  per  cent,  per 
annum  and  taxes.  Even  such  unusual  conditions  as  I  herein  describe 
have  a  bearing  on  my  general  statement. 

Two  extreme  instances  yet  absolutely  correct  as  to  increase  in 
value  may  be  given  from  a  score  that  I  could  name: 

Less  than  twenty-five  years  ago  a  property  within  thirty-five 
miles  of  New  York  City  was  offered  me  for  thirty-four  thousand 
dollars  that  is  to-day  worth  and  would  easily  bring  half  a  million 
dollars,  and  that  without  a  dollar  of  improvement.  Another  property 
purchased  at  that  time  for  less  than  a  thousand  dollars  is  now  con- 
servatively estimated  at  twenty  thousand,  property  on  which  a  sav- 
ings banks  would  readily  loan  ten  thousand  dollars  at  five  per  cent. 


338  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

Opportunities  still  exist  for  those  who  search,  though  rarely  with 
such  large  profits.  Let  one  devote  the  necessary  time  at  odd  hours 
to  thoroughly  scouring  the  out-lying  country,  map  in  hand,  assuming 
it  to  be  near  some  thriving  centre  such  as  New  York  City.  When 
what  appears  a  suitable  site  has  been  found,  question  closely  several 
disinterested  "natives,"  who  are  usually  authorities  on  local  matters, 
though  absolutely  purblind,  as  a  rule,  to  speculative  values.  If 
financial  help  is  required,  one  or  two  friends  can  be  let  in  "on  the 
ground  floor." 

Selecting  the  Site. 

In  determining  on  a  site,  there  are  a  few  "must  bes"  which 
schedule  somewhat  as  follows:  High  land,  extended  views — long 
road  frontage  is  a  great  advantage  and  fertile  soil  is  desirable  but  not 
an  absolute  essential — trees,  as  little  swamp  as  possible,  and  good 
water.  With  trolley  possibilities  within  five  years,  no  near  nuisance 
nor  prospect  of  any,  such  as  sanatoriums,  poor  farms,  slaughter  houses 
and  objectionable  factories,  and  with  property,  say  not  over  one  and 
one-half  hours,  preferably  one  hour  from  the  city,  and  not  over  two 
or  three  miles  from  railroad  station,  the  success  of  the  project  is 
assured.  If,  in  addition,  there  are  a  deep  ravine,  a  fine  stream,  with 
water  power  possibilities,  fruit  trees,  good  roads,  desirable  neighbors 
and  it  is  within  a  mile  of  a  station,  assets  will  bear  marking  up. 

In  selecting  as  well  as  planting  land,  remember  that  the  light 
sandy  soil  on  your  farm  suits  crops  that  mature  early,  before  drought 
days  begin  and  that  heavy  soil  is  for  crops  that  require  the  entire 
summer  to  mature. 

The  fact  that  all  of  your  future  customers  may  not  keep  devil 
wagons  and  that  plodding  dobbin  and  shanks'  mare  will  surely 
lengthen  the  distance,  should  have  a  bearing  on  your  selection  of  a 
farm  for  country  homes ;  at  the  same  time  beware  of  the  nearness  of 
a  railroad  track  with  its  accompanying  smirching  smoke,  screech  and 
jangle,  and  other  bedlam  noises,  intensified  when  moisture-laden  south 
and  east  winds  blow  toward  your  Mecca.  Your  idyl  must  be  a  real 
idyl,  antipodal  to  the  man-made  town. 

Even  if  inspection  of  the  proposed  purchase  reveals  a  rotting 
sill,  a  leaking  roof,  and  decaying  window  frames,  remember  you  are 
buying  but  a  makeshift  house.  It  is  building  sites  that  you  want. 
If  land,  location,  and  possibilities  are  satisfactory,  brace  up  the  sills, 
as  well  as  your  courage,  and  with  great  care  slip  bits  of  tin  under  the 
shingles  that  leak,  (even  walking  on  an  old  roof  loosens  enough 
shingles  to  necessitate  a  new  one),  and  let  the  rest  go  until  you 
can  build  the  new  house.  Spend  what  is  essential  in  purifying  the 
cellar,  removing  old  wall  papers  and  sterilizing  walls,  floors,  and 
surroundings  in  general;  clean  up  all  refuse,  calk  all  crevices,  and 
put  the  rest  of  your  spare  change  and  energy  into  the  building  of  a  few 
absolutely  necessary  roads  and'  extensive  plantings. 


LANDSCAPE  GARDENING  339 

Rapidly  increasing  values  in  effect  actually  decrease  your  mort- 
gage without  your  paying  a  dollar  toward  it,  and  if  the  land  has 
been  well  selected,  judicious  sales  will  enable  you  to  pay  off  the  entire 
indebtedness  and  still  leave  the  major  part  of  the  property  free  and 
clear. 

The  summer  kitchen  that  will  yield  summer  comfort  and  the 
woodshed  or  old  English  "outshot"  beyond,  'gainst  which  the 
"norther"  fruitlessly  beats,  are  both  desirable  features  if  in  your 
Eldorado  find,  but  neither  are  essential. 

Avoid  farming,  at  first,  except  in  a  small  way  for  family  use. 
Wait!  Make  the  old  house  do,  with  a  few  must-haves.  jKeep  a  cow,  a 
horse  to  plough  and  cultivate,  and  chickens.  That  cheap  automo- 
bile picked  up  second-hand,  but  carefully  selected,  will  answer  as 
means  of  locomotion,  and  give  family  and  friends  an  occasional  out- 
ing. Set  out  immediately  an  asparagus  bed  for  home  use  at  least, 
and  if  for  market,  all  the  better,  and  a  shrub  and  tree  nursery.  Buy 
as  many  hardy,  ornamental,  small  plants  by  the  thousand  as  you 
can  afford;  they  can  be  had  for  a  few  cents  each  in  Europe  and  at 
times  in  this  country,  including  evergreens,  rhododendrons,  etc.,  and 
start  that  hole-in-the-ground  greenhouse  for  early  stuff  and  shrub  pro- 
pagation. Fill  out  with  the  surplus  stock  of  some  nurseryman  that  you 
can  get  at  a  bargain  out  of  season,  you  to  move  it  if  conveniently  near. 
Put  on  an  extra  man  occasionally  to  push  cultivation  and  care  for 
the  nursery  stock.  Set  out  some  fruit  of  the  right  sort — grapes  cost 
little  and  yield  enormously,  but  plant  only  the  non-mildewers  and 
sure  ripeners. 

Landscape  Gardening. 

Employ  a  landscape  gardener  to  lay  out  your  farm  on  paper, 
showing  roads,  building  sites,  and  the  general  planting  scheme.  If 
you  know  in  some  ways  more  than  he  does,  at  least  buy  his  advice, 
but  settle  the  price  ahead  of  the  buying,  then  do  as  you  please,  keep- 
ing the  horse  and  extra  man  busy  in  cutting  and  filling  grades,  mov- 
ing this  tree  or  that  shrub,  thinning  out  where  needed — in  a  word, 
shaping  up  your  farm  roughly  with  choice  building  sites,  so  planted 
with  fruit  and  ornamental  trees  as  to  avoid  shutting  off  prospective 
roads  and  views  or  interfering  with  lawns  or  vegetable  garden.  There 
is  no  better  aid  to  longevity  than  this  kind  of  life. 

No  man  ever  voiced  a  greater  truth  than  Abraham  Lincoln 
when  he  said  the  most  valuable  of  all  arts  will  be  the  art  of  deriving 
a  comfortable  subsistence  from  the  smallest  area  of  soil. 

Aim  to  have  in  five  years  fifteen  or  twenty  building  sites  of  two 
or  three  acres  each,  with  main  landscaping  finished.  Meantime,  you 
can  harvest  hay  and  possibly  sow  and  gather  some  essential  crops, 
and,  by  protecting  the  trees,  use  some  of  the  land  for  pasturage, 
throttling  expense  in  large  measure  with  horse  boarders.  Prospective 


340  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

customers  like  action  and  you  may  discount  the  five  years'  wait  quite 
a  bit. 

Let  me  emphasize  again  that  the  site  of  a  house  makes  or  ruins 
it,  and  it  is  imperative  to  settle  the  different  sites  first. 

It  takes  time  to  grow  trees  and  shrubs,  and  he  who  has  set  out 
the  right  kinds  and  has  them  properly  located  will  surely  find  appre- 
ciative customers. 

Asparagus  Profits. 

In  addition  to  ornamental  shrubs,  trees,  and  fruit,  I  planted  an 
asparagus  bed  on  each  site  of  a  tract  I  thus  laid  out.  The  farm 
asparagus  bed  of  two  or  three  acres  will  pay  for  many  an  improve- 
ment. The  ordinary  farmer  dodges  the  three  years'  wait,  therefore 
he  who  plants  it  has  less  local  competition.  We  never  bunched  our 
asparagus,  but  cut  it  in  haphazard  lengths  and  sent  it  to  the  local 
market.  This  was  our  trademark  of  freshness,  and  the  yearly  income 
from  a  three-acre  bed  was  over  one  thousand  dollars.  Its  require- 
ments were  inexpensive,  a  mulch  of  manure,  cultivation,  and  once  a 
year  a  little  salt.  Manure  and  salt  also  worked  wonders  in  the  radish 
bed. 

Farming  the  City. 

With  farm  carefully  selected,  the  battle  for  independence  is  half 
won.  Sun  and  rain,  with  but  little  cash  outlay,  and  that  along  the 
lines  mentioned,  will  do  the  rest.  But  in  those  five  years  of  waiting 
the  head  of  the  family  should  farm  the  city,  and  strict  economy  must 
be  practiced. 

This  is  a  practical  plan  for  living  a  helpful  and  healthy  country 
life. 

With  a  cash  capital  of  two  thousand  dollars  with  which  to 
begin,  and  an  income  of  from  $1,500  to  $3,000  a  year,  let  us  see  how 
those  figures  that  "cannot  lie"  line  up. 

Absolute  Independence  on  Small  Capital. 

From  twenty-five  to  fifty  acres  of  such  land  as  I  have  described 
can  be  found  by  painstaking  search  for  five  thousand  dollars.  The 
temptation  to  buy  extensive  acreage  would  increase  distance  and  the 
additional  expense  hamper  development,  and  possibly  wreck  the 
enterprise.  Neighboring  banks  will  loan  $2,500  on  a  fifty  per  cent, 
valuation,  as  per  the  law  of  limitations,  at  five  per  cent.,  the  usual 
bank  rate.  The  seller  can  often  be  persuaded  to  take  back  a  second 
mortgage  of  say  $1,500  at  six  per  cent,  for  three  years,  which  can 
be  re-sold  at  a  small  discount,  or  the  purchaser  can  with  persistent 
effort  find  an  investor,  or  some  friend  might  share  the  profit.  A 
second  mortgage  where  improvements  are  to  be  made  can  always  be 
negotiated.  This,  with  the  $1,000  cash  paid  to  the  seller  gives  owner- 
ship. The  first  mortgage  will  stand  indefinitely  as  long  as  the  $125 


A  TENT  ON  THE  BEACH  341 

interest  and  taxes  are  promptly  met,  and  the  second  may  remain  for 
two  or  three  years  as  long  as  the  $90  interest  is  met.  This  assures 
one  a  good  home  at  the  moderate  rental  of  $215  per  year,  plus  taxes 
and  insurance,  which  are  usually  moderate,  and  the  $50  interest  on 
the  $1,000  investment.  Add  to  this  $1,000  to  cover  stock  and  extras 
— the  $1,000  outlay  should  bring  large  returns — thus  investing  the 
full  $2,000  and  increasing  the  interest  charge  $60  per  year. 

Values  advance  when  a  city  family  moves  into  a  locality  and 
improvements  are  begun,  therefore  with  little  effort  one  could 
dispose  of  part  of  his  holdings  the  first  year — say  enough  to  halve 
carrying  charges,  still  keeping  a  speculative  quantity  of  land.  The 
commutation,  which  must  be  added  to  the  yearly  rent,  will  bring  the 
amount  to  $450,  plus  the  chargeable  items  for  repairs  and  improve- 
ments which  should  be  kept  as  low  as  possible. 

As  covering  in  part  the  above,  one  can  figure  the  fresh  vege- 
tables, milk,  and  eggs  consumed  and  sold  which  would  certainly  pay 
for  the  man  of  all  work,  and  with  good  planning  cut  down  the  $450 
quite  a  bit. 

A  City  and  a  Country  Home  Totalling  for  Rent  $650  a  Year. 

The  second  half  of  the  plan  is  that,  assuming  the  base  of  opera- 
tions close  to  New  York,  in  late  fall  one  can  advertise  for  a  furnished 
apartment  in  town.  Many  families  go  south  and  are  glad  to  rent 
for  as  low  as  $50  per  month  or  even  less  to  careful  people.  Thus  is 
provided  a  country  house  wherein  to  enjoy  the  spring,  summer  and 
autumn  and  in  which  to  keep  prized  furniture,  books,  etc.,  that  an 
habitual  apartment  house  dweller  would  be  obliged  to  relegate  to  the 
storehouse  for  half  the  year,  paying  thereon  enough  to  materially  aid  in 
maintaining  both  a  modest  country  home,  and  a  winter  home  in  town 
for  not  over  $650  per  year.  A  $3,000  income  would  admit  of  both; 
a  $1,500  but  of  one. 

A  Tent  on  the  Beach. 

A  caretaker  can  always  be  found  for  the  country  home,  .and  a 
tent  on  the  beach  for  an  occasional  week-end  outing  makes  the  final 
link  in  vanquishing  the  ennui  of  existence  and  getting  the  most  out 
of  the  usual  prosaic  routine  of  dressing,  eating,  and  sleeping  day  after 
day,  year  after  year. 

Acquaintance  and  a  little  effort  will  accomplish  the  selling  end ; 
— a  club  or  business  friend — a  week  end  or  a  Sunday  visit ;  a  talk 
over  luncheon  or  on  the  car.  Give  your  friends  a  choice  of  sites,  if 
need  be,  to  get  started  on  this  real  missionary  work  in  the  interest 
of  pure  air  and  healthy  living.  Once  the  ship  is  off  the  ways  she? 
moves  easily.  Judicious  newspaper  advertising  coupled  with  skill 
and  patience  produces  excellent  results. 

Build  ?  A  vital  question.  It  is  a  safe  rule  to  let  the  other  fellow 
do  it  to  suit  himself.  Howrever,  if  you  sell  several  building  sites 


342  HOW  TO  MAKE  A  COUNTRY  PLACE 

for  enough  to  build  a  bungalow  or  two  do  so  to  enliven  the  prop- 
erty, but  go  slowly  and  let  the  contracts,  for  your  mind  must  be  on 
your  business  in  town.  You  will  have  enough  enthusiasts  over  Sun- 
day to  develop  a  congenial  neighborly  neighborhood. 

With  these  lines  ends  the  writer's  partial  record  of  the  twin 
hobbies  of  country  living  and  housebuilding,  which  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century  took  the  place  of  other  amusements,  but  the  lure  of  the 
lumber  pile  and  the  sound  of  saw  and  hammer,  the  call  of  the  land, 
as  seen  and  heard  in  rustling  tree-top,  silver  melodies  from  copse  and 
woodland,  lowing  herd,  ripening  harvest,  swirl  of  bloom,  will  not 
down.  Love  of  country  life  with  its  endless  ramifications  under- 
lying all  realms  in  still  in  the  blood,  and  we  shall  again  sometime 
enjoy  to  the  uttermost  a  real  possession  of  the  wild,  man's  rightful 
heritage. 


APPENDIX 


TWO  houses  of  somewhat  radical  type  are  described  below  in 
response  to  a  request  reading,  "From  eight  to  ten  thousand 
statements  made  from  actual  experience  in  building  and  lay- 
ing out  country  places,  and  a  thousand  or  more  photographs  illus- 
trating country  houses  and  country  living  make  helpful  data,  but  go 
one  step  farther,  Mr.  Author,  and  outline  in  a  dozen  pages  a  couple 
of  type  houses,  one  for  the  man  of  moderate  means  and  one  for  the 
rnan  of  wealth,  and  do  it  so  thoroughly  that  the  prospective  owner 
will  not  expect  a  sow's  ear  to  yield  a  silk  purse.  For  instance,  were 
I  about  to  build  a  country  house  and  undertook  to  follow  the  myriad 
suggestions  of  well-meaning  friends,  I  might  be  a  bankrupt  before 
it  was  enclosed,  but,  aspiring  to  build  a  feature  house,  with  a  type 
before  me  illustrating  details  that  have  been  actually  worked  out,  I 
could  doubtless  better  outline  a  rough  plan  to  submit  to  the  architect." 

THE  HOUSE  FOR  THE  MAN  OF  MODERATE  MEANS. 

Location  preferably  within  a  mile  of  the  station,  about  an  acre 
of  rich  soil,  thorough  drainage,  rising  land,  large  trees,  good  neigh- 
borhood, no  near  nuisances  nor  prospect  of  any,  town  water,  electric 
lights,  sidewalks,  good  roads  and  lighted  streets,  are  all  desirable. 
The  dwelling  should  be  placed  not  less  than  seventy-five  feet  from 
the  street  and  face  south,  on  a  lot  preferably  about  200  feet  square, 
with  an  extended  view  that  neither  tree  growth  nor  buildings  will 
ever  entirely  shut  out. 

House,  30  x  40,  is  enlarged  by  porch-room  wings  at  each  end,  the 
west  porch  connecting  with  an  esplanade  floored  with  cement,  if 
expense  precludes  the  use  of  the  more  attractive  terrazzo  or  brick, 
and  ornamented  with  potted  plants,  the  east  wing  joining  the  porte 
cochere.  The  house  is  side  hilled  so  that  portion  in  the  rear  is  four 
feet  under  ground,  and  at  the  sides  averages  about  two  feet  under 
ground  a  third  of  the  width  of  the  house,  walls,  as  well  as  all 
footing  courses  built  of  rough  uncracked  field  stones,  in  case  such 
are  on  the  place,  or  any  hard  stone,  crude  oil  being  mixed  in  the 
cement  as  a  damp  deterrent.  Basement  walls  and  those  of  first 
story  are  hollow  brick,  coated  with  rough  cement  and  colored 
to  harmonize  with  the  hand-dipped  stained  shingles  which  cover 
upper  story  and  roof,  preferably  laid  on  the  latter  with  four  and  one- 
half  inch  weatherage.  The  hollow  tile  will  be  interiorly  treated 
with  tar  and  cement  and  air  spaced,  and  gutters  of  copper  and  leaders 
crimped. 

Second  story,  studded,  boarded,  shingled  and  back-plastered, 
projects  four  inches,  the  under  mold  forming  a  narrow  belt  course. 


344  APPENDIX 

The  shingle  roof  should  have  a  two  foot  overhang  and  its  kick-up 
rafters  a  fourteen-inch  dip,  the  soffit  covered  with  cement  on  gal- 
vanized wire  lath. 

Windows  on  first  story  should  be  sash-hung,  giving  greater 
security,  less  draught  and  being  more  easily  screened.  They  may  be 
fitted  with  automatic  sash  bar  locks,  lower  lights  to  be  of  plate  glass, 
upper  in  small  squares,  or  if  in  one  pane  it  may  be  squared  or 
diamonded  with  wooden  strips  laid  over  the  glass.  Extra  size  pockets 
save  the  expense  of  leaden  weights.  Second  story  windows  in  the 
main  are  casements  with  triple  rabbeted  and  lipped  jointure.  The 
third  floor  should  have  sliding  windows  under  the  eaves  for  moderate 
light  and  much  ventilation,  but  in  the  gables  use  wide  curved  bays 
with  not  over  eighteen-inch  centre  projection,  bracket  supported, 
shaded  by  pent  eaves.  One  eyebrow  on  the  front  and  two  lift  dormers 
on  the  rear  of  the  roof  are  ample.  Set  all  windows  when  possible 
as  mullioned  triplets;  head  trim  and  apron  practically  in  one  piece, 
and  build  sleeping  porches  over  east  and  west  wings. 

Porch  wings  should  be  featured  as  outdoor  eating  and  living 
rooms,  with  breeze-wooing  open  rails,  space  against  the  house  wain- 
scoted, and  capped  with  plate  rack,  smooth  cement  wall  above  painted 
and  covered  with  thoroughly  water-proofed  burlap  and  the  ceiling, 
cemented  on  galvanized  wire  lath,  crossed  with  hollow  cement  or 
wooden  beams,  and  verdure  canopied. 

The  floor  of  red  cement,  cored  with  galvanized  wire  mesh, 
has  embedded  in  one  of  its  twenty-four  inch  squares  a  patina  colored 
copper  arrow  pointing  north.  Joints  of  the  tapestry  brick  chim- 
ney are  raked-out.  Set  in  house  wall  on  the  east  end,  directly 
over  the  door-head  a  glass  fronton,  say  eight  feet  wide  and  two  feet 
high,  as  an  over-lintel — a  giant  wardian  case  filled  with  plants  and 
mosses  from  the  woods,  the  inner  sash  arranged  to  open  in  extremely 
cold  weather,  a  glimpse  of  woodland  all  the  year  around.  On 
the  south  wall  fit  a  mottoed  sun  dial  with  time  equation. 

Entrance  steps  facing  three  ways  in  monument  style  are  of  red 
cement,  crandaled  for  safety,  and  lead  from  porte  cochere — glass 
roofed  to  avoid  undue  shadowing — to  the  east  wing  porch  with 
its  slightly  convex  red  cement  walk  four  feet  wide.  The  door  mat 
is  inset,  and  an  antique  scraper  bent  to  match  the  curved  edge  of 
the  step  firmly  embedded  in  the  cement.  This  glassed-in  entrance 
porch  gives  a  bower  of  bloom  at  all  seasons.  Flower  beds  border  each 
side  of  the  swalk,  sloping  from  porch  foundation,  and  singing  birds 
greet  all  corners. 

The  oak-battened,  iron-studded  Dutch  door  is  fitted  with  bulls' 
eyes,  a  ten-inch  Bastile  lock,  and  an  electric  knocker  in  the  form  of 
a  knight's  vizor  in  which  is  cut  the  name  of  the  villa  and  on  the 
marble  sill  is  inscribed  the  word  "Venitas."  The  porch  is  columned, 


the  architrave  centred  with  coat  of  arms  and  cement  lions  flank  the 
steps. 

Side  hill  construction  means  strenuous  work  in  blind  ditch 
draining,  tarring  and  cementing,  but  aids  in  eliminating  a  large  and 
somewhat  useless  cellar. 

With  no  greater  foundation  nor  roof  area,  this  plan  will  won- 
derfully increase  the  comfort  and  presence  of  the  house  and  give  most 
space  for  the  money. 

The  cellar  may  be  made  exceptionally  light  by  having  floor  and 
side  walls  of  white  marbleized  cement  and  windows  set  from  ceiling 
to  two  feet  below  grade,  protected  by  brick  and  sand  drained  areas. 
The  list  must  include  double  windows,  rodent  and  tramp  barring 
non-corroding  screens  and  iron  grilles,  cellar  floor  drained  to  a  man- 
hole, concave  non-dust  collecting  corners  cemented  to  ceiling  line, 
plastered  ceiling  covered  with  metal,  and  heating  pipes  wrapped  in 
asbestos.  One  corner  will  accommodate  the  coal  bunkers  and  a  pit- 
set  boiler  for  hot  water  heating,  protected  overhead  with  an  extra 
sheet  of  metal  or  asbestos. 

Beneath  the  cellar  proper,  suitably  ventilated  and  blind  drained, 
excavate  a  sub-cellar  or  favissa  ten  feet  square  with  six  foot  stud 
and  reached  through  a  rail-guarded  trap  door  inset  in  the  cement 
floor.  It  will  have  a  uniform  temperature  at  all  seasons.  We  have 
planned  for  an  arched  vault  in  chimney  foundation  concealed  behind 
wooden  sheathing  as  a  receptacle  for  a  safe  with  liquid  explosive- 
proof  seams. 

Two  windows  on  opposite  sides  of  the  housekeeping  closet  will 
cheat  the  sour  microbe  out  of  many  a  meal. 

The  kitchen  entrance  door  is  to  be  exteriorly  lighted,  also  lock- 
controlled  by  the  much  maligned  push  button  placed  near  an  upstairs 
window  to  readily  inspect  after-dark  callers.  Range  boiler  will  be 
firmly  riveted  to  ceiling  to  save  floor  space,  and  floor  and  walls 
covered  with  a  light  shade  of  dirt  and  tear-proof  linoleum  in  two 
weights.  The  balance  of  wall  length  should  be  inexpensively  chair 
railed.  Windows  can  be  protected  with  crescent  "eye-peep"  shut- 
ters, and  service  rooms  have  patent  non-dust-making  cement  floors 
and  sanitary  bases,  as  easily  cleaned  as  tile. 

Dining  room,  butler's  pantry,  kitchen  mechanics,  laundry  and 
servants'  lavatory  are  all  planned  to  go  on  the  lower  floor  level,  which 
is  reached  by  two  entrances,  one  on  the  south,  and  a  service  entrance 
on  the  north. 

The  dining  room,  exceptionally  lighted  and  extra  well  blanketed 
in  winter  by  double  windows  hinged  from  the  top,  each  wicket 
ventilated,  can  go  under  the  west  wing  porch,  the  ceiling  necessarily 
low.  An  excellent  size  for  this  room  would  be  12  x  18.  The  small 
wall  space,  wainscoted  to  frieze  line  with  chestnut  uprights,  is 
capped  with  plate  rack,  and  the  ceiling  crossed  with  thin  wooden 


346  APPENDIX 

strips.  Preparation  before  laying  the  double  floor  to  combat  ground 
air  and  moisture  must  include  thorough  draining,  cementing,  tarring 
and  air  spacing.  The  chimney  breast,  built  in  line  with  west 
porch-room  fireplace,  can  be  faced  with  burnished  copper.  Inset  in 
over-mantel  a  cleverly  executed  burnt  wood  tracing.  The  somewhat 
radical  plan  of  this  road-level-floor  is  made  possible  by  the  lay  of 
the  land  which  slopes  sharply  to  the  west  as  well  as  the  south.  The 
entire  first  story  of  thirty  by  forty  feet  is  to  be  treated  as  one  large 
gala  room  spaced  to  include  stairs  and  chimney,  alcoved  to  allow  a 
stop-draught  entrance  vestibule  from  the  porte  cochere  end,  and  ample 
room  for  library  and  reception  corners.  Good  planning  will  make 
the  three  steps  to  a  landing  five  feet  wide,  whose  side  can  be  pro- 
tected by  a  firmly  fastened  standing  lion  of  cement  used  as  a  balus- 
trade and  fronted  by  a  settle,  the  end  of  the  platform  resting  against, 
not  in  the  chimney.  Stairs  trail  upward  back  of  the  chimney  to 
a  mid-height  landing,  s.unned  by  a  golden-hued,  opalescent,  leaded 
glass  window  facing  due  north,  hand  rail  of  three-inch  cotton 
rope  covered  with  red  velvet,  not  as  hygienic  as  metal  but  in  appear- 
ance less  commercial,  and  fastened  by  brass  sockets  against  the  side 
wall.  For  the  service  portion  of  the  house  use  the  half-back-stair, 
and  reach  this  landing  behind  the  chimney,  it  can  form  part  of 
a  servants'  porch  and  roof  their  summer  dining  room ;  here  will  be 
an  opening  to  deliver  ice  to  the  ice  box,  and  in  the  house  wall  an 
alcove  for  milk  bottles.  This  porch  abuts  against  the  rear 
and  is  roofed  at  the  same  gradient  as  the  main  house,  which  is 
carried  down  to  cover  the  "outshot"  projection.  The  chimney  ten 
feet  wide  built  of  Harvard  brick,  with  six-foot  fire  opening,  will 
have  over  the  inset  stone  shelf,  seven  feet  from  the  floor,  an  iron 
grille-fronted-flambeau-fireplace  where  on  festal  occasions  pitch  pine 
knots  flare,  sputter,  and  fitfully  brighten  the  entire  room,  metal  rings 
pendant  from  a  trolley  iron  that  supports  its  front,  a  crane  hung 
with  trammels  set  in  the  brick  work,  and  andirons  and  fire  irons 
six  feet  high.  An  arched  forward  back,  a  narrow  flue  opening  of 
six  feet,  a  smoke  shelf,  and  a  flue  lined  with  round  tile  tightly 
cemented  at  each  collar,  are  forms  of  construction  that  effectually 
checkmate  a  smoking  chimney  and  forever  bar  an  ugly  help-draw- 
cowl  swivel-chimney-pot.  The  fireplace  may  have  an  iron  reredos 
embossed  with  coat  of  arms,  and  a  wide  deep  hearth  of  cement,  and 
the  six  foot  log  burner  can  be  changed  to  a  grotto  of  ferns  in  summer, 
centred  with  a  rose-lipped  shell  from  the  Orient. 

Our  big  30  x  40  gala  room  will  surely  be  wainscoted  seven  feet 
high  with  chestnut  boarding  set  upright,  capped  with  plate  rack,  and 
stained  by  acid  to  that  shade  seen  in  some  storm  tossed,  sand  and  sun 
bleached  bit  of  wreckage,  and  the  twelve-foot  ceiling  inexpensively 
divided  lengthwise  by  three  heavy  made-up  beams  cross-sectioned 
twice.  Two  plate  glass  mirrors  five  feet  wide  carried  through  base- 


LAY-OUT  OF  FIRST  AND  SECOND  STORIES      347 

board  to  window  cap,  cloth  draped  at  sides  and  top,  will  give  mirage 
rooms  that  greatly  extend  the  vista. 

Electroliers,  built  from  old  swords  and  bayonets,  we  will  sus- 
pend by  rusty  chains  and  on  side  walls  set  sconces  of  bulb-tipped  elk 
horns. 

In  the  grilled  corner  forming  the  library  set  back  the  shelf 
supports  three  inches  from  the  front,  conceal  by  three-inch  dummy 
books  firmly  fastened  in  place,  and  nail  a  dust  flap  across  the  edge 
of  each  shelf.  Ivory  tinted  plaster  bas-reliefs  decorate  the  frieze 
of  this  corner. 

A  folding  iron  gate  concealed  in  a  wall  cupboard  pocket  would 
bar  the  night  prowler  by  closing  in  both  staircases  at  the  top  on  the 
second  floor. 

Second  story. — The  lion's  share  of  this  should  be  given  up  to 
the  owners,  the  main  room,  15  x  30,  facing  all  points  of  the  com- 
pass, a  bay  giving  the  north  outlook. 

The  boudoir  end,  planned  as  an  upstairs  sitting  or  morning 
room,  should  have  double  connection  with  the  canvas  floored  space 
over  the  east  porch  wing,  one  leading  to  a  simple  sleeping  jog  in  the 
open,  which  could  be  made  a  near-tree  room  if  a  large  tree  edges 
the  balcony  rail  by  training  its  branches  across  the  front,  the  other 
to  a  sun  room,  semi-conservatory,  and  aviary,  with  ample  space  to 
swing  a  mattress  hammock.  Centre  the  glass  partition  between 
sleeping  jog  and  sun  room  with  a  pulley-hung  pane  of  plate  glass 
about  four  by  six  feet,  all  sash  fitted  for  removal  in  summer. 

Electric  fixtures  for  this  room  are  best  of  glass.  Entrance  doors 
must  have  sloped  sills  and  triple  rabbeted  joints. 

The  bedroom  end,  grilled  and  portiered,  should  connect  with 
a  bathroom  which  also  opens  into  the  hall.  The  outside  member 
of  door  trim,  matching  the  picture  molding,  can  be  mitred  into 
it,  forming  a  panel  over  each  of  the  three  doorways,  to  be  decorated 
with  pictorial  tapestry  of  nymph,  purling  brook,  and  primeval  forest. 
Ceiling  and  corners  may  be  coved.  The  master's  weapon  of  defense, 
represented  by  a  seven  shooter,  could  be  safely  concealed  in  a  leather 
pocket  nailed  on  the  back  of  a  picture  hung  high  on  the  wall. 

In  the  main  room  include  a  bay  window  seat  lined  with  freshly 
cut  cedar,  a  davenport  with  bookshelf  at  one  end,  and  a  tiny  fire- 
place built  up  from  rock  foundation  or  inexpensively  and  safely  car- 
ried on  trolley  irons  placed  on  second  story  floor  beams,  saving 
valuable  space  in  the  living  room. 

The  over-mantel  in  this  suite  can  be  a  throated  hood  affair, 
seemingly  made  by  bulging  out  the  side  wall,  but  really  produced 
by  a  cement  covered  metal  frame  firmly  riveted  in  chimney  breast, 
projecting  at  the  centre  to  eighteen  inches,  and  tapering  at  sides  and 
ceiling  height  into  a  plastered  wall  the  full  extent  of  the  chimney 
front.  A  small  jewel  safe  can  be  securely  bolted  and  cemented 


348  APPENDIX 

between  studs  and  placed  behind  the  chiffonier,  and  two  mirror 
doors  so  hung  as  to  be  used  for  dress-fitting  mirrors  when  open. 
The  bathroom  of  this  suite,  furred  down  to  seven-foot  stud,  if  tiled 
to  ceiling  will  avoid  the  use  of  capping  which  in  time  generally 
works  loose.  A  porcelain-lined  tub  six  feet  long  synonyms  com- 
fort, and  if  set  close  to  tiled  floor  and  side-walls  will  eliminate  those 
aggravating  dust-gripping  levels  and  corners.  Metal  plumbing  fix- 
tures covered  with  porcelain  shells  and  the  exposed  metal,  where 
there  is  not  too  much  wear,  gold-plated,  is  not  expensive  and 
wonderfully  effective,  but  the  white  and  gold  of  such  a  bathroom 
might  prove  an  envy  generator  of  the  rankest  kind.  Fit  the  shower 
with  an  odorless  canvas  curtain.  Toilet,  of  low-down  type,  and 
basin  (with  pipe  connection  from  side-walls)  are  solid  porcelain, 
with  safety  shut-off  in  supply  pipe  close  to  fixtures.  Complete  the 
room  with  a  wall-inset  mirrored  medicine  closet,  mirror  doors,  a 
window  of  leaded  glass  set  five  feet  from  the  floor,  sill  of  marble  to 
match  the  tiling,  glass  and  nickel  fittings,  and  a  pair  of  white 
enameled  scales.  The  space  over  bathroom  ceiling  would  make 
secret  cupboards  to  be  opened  from  the  bedroom  behind  a  wooden 
coving. 

The  guest  room  must  have  a  hygienic  canvas-curtained  shower- 
jog  with  swivel  faucets,  economically  piped  through  the  wall  of  an 
adjoining  bathroom. 

Two  small  bedrooms  and  another  sleeping  porch  can  be  crowded 
in.  Closets  should  have  dress  rods,  racks  and  shoe  shelves.  The 
sleeping  porch  as  planned  would  be  a  hall  extension  in  the  open, 
with  double  Victorian  doors  which  should  be  triple  rabbeted  and 
meet  in  the  centre,  with  water-proof  knuckle-and-elbow-joint.  Such 
an  arrangement  banishes  sleepless  August  nights,  and  bedroom  blind 
doors  bring  added  comfort. 

An  electric  bulb  set  in  ventilating  flue  at  ceiling  line  in  the 
hall  lights  a  dark  corner  and  creates  an  up-chimney  current,  aiding 
to  make  a  free-from-odor  house. 

Under  the  eaves  rivet  a  fire  and  burglar  gong,  wire-connected 
with  the  master's  suite. 

The  third  story  can  be  windowed  and  rough-studded  to  add 
at  some  future  time  a  guest  room  fronted  in  the  gables  with  wide 
bays  which  pay  fifty  per  cent,  dividend  on  their  cost.  In  the  rear 
plaster-finish  a  servant's  room  large  enough  for  two  single  beds, 
although  with  a  liberal  use  of  the  electrical  handmaiden  this  house 
may  not  get  beyond  the  one  servant  need.  Complete  the  floor  with 
servants'  bathroom.  The  toggery  and  trunk  room  can  be  roughly 
boarded  in  and  padlocked. 

The  use  of  aluminum  in  escutcheon  and  butt  will  prevent  injury 
to  woodwork  in  cleaning.  All  bedrooms  have  burglar-proof  mortise 
bolts,  set  above  the  reach  of  childish  hands. 


WELL  APPOINTED  HOUSE  OF  GREATER  COST  349 

Electric  light  installation  may  include  a  switch  to  light  outside 
entrances  from  within,  the  interior  from  without  and  the  entire  house 
from  the  master's  suite,  light  being  a  safe  and  effective  defense,  also 
base-plugs  for  bed-head  and  stand  lights,  as  well  as  vacuum  clean- 
ing connection. 

A  fire  pipe  line,  if  placed  from  cellar  to  roof  and  elbowed  into 
a  perforated  galvanized  iron  pipe  extending  the  length  of  the  ridge 
to  flood  the  roof  at  a  moment's  notice,  might  prevent  fire  loss. 

Hose  and  pipe  can  be  kept  on  each  floor,  in  dust-proof  glass- 
fronted  cupboards  inset  between  studding,  concealed  or  not,  as  pre- 
ferred. Plumbing  shut-offs  should  be  in  one  place  and  legibly  labeled. 

A  non-rusting  metal  clothes  chute  from  attic  to  cellar  will  save 
steps  and  possibly  marred  walls. 

THE  WELL  APPOINTED  HOUSE  OF  GREATER  COST. 

Many  of  the  features  of  the  House-for-the-Man-of-Moderate- 
Means  will  naturally  be  incorporated  in  the  more  elaborate  country 
villa,  hence  are  not  described. 

Grounds  might  schedule  about  five  acres  of  ridge  land  with  a 
commanding  view  and  include  a  bit  of  rich  meadow,  edged  by  a  clear- 
running,  pebbly-bottomed  brook.  Several  genuine  forest  monarchs 
interspersed  with  smaller  growth,  a  bearing  orchard,  and  an  abun- 
dance of  small  fruit  would  be  important  adjuncts,  and  land  must 
be  in  a  desirable  neighborhood,  preferably  within  two  miles  of  the 
station,  and  approached  by  good  roads. 

The  main  house  should  not  be  less  than  30  x  60  in  area  and 
somewhat  irregular  in  form,  with  wing-porches  at  each  end,  one  con- 
necting with  an  esplanade  and  the  other  joining  a  porte  cochere, 
the  style  New  American,  with  a  touch  of  the  Colonial  in  high 
pillared  front. 

Lay  up  basement  walls  with  rough  or  smooth  stone  in  entasis 
effect,  thoroughly  window  and  fit  for  double  windows  in  winter. 
Make  exterior  and  main  division  walls  of  hollow  brick,  tarred  and 
air-spaced  within,  and  coated  with  smooth  cement,  and  roof  of  tile, 
in  harmonious  shade,  with  superior  water-proof  under-covering. 
Lift  dormer  windows  obtain  in  roof  with  ample  window  area  in 
gables  and  side-walls,  and  lower  panes  of  plate  glass  in  small  squares, 
leaded  lights  on  stair  landing,  in  bathrooms  and  in  some  transoms. 
Timber  substantially  with  G.  P.  girders,  as  well  as  an  occasional 
I-beam,  and  make  house  vermin  and  rat-proof. 

Basement  should  contain  laundry  with  ventilated  soiled  clothes 
closet,  drying  machine,  furnace  room  with  big  sectional  boiler 
(unless  it  is  decided  to  have  heating  plant  in  an  outbuilding), 
cement  coal-bunkers  (filled  without  injuring  the  lawn),  a  water 
heater,  and  dark  preserve,  also  windowed  housekeeping  closets.  Iron 
posts  should  be  swathed  with  galvanized  wire  covered  with  cement 
and  support  substantial  iron  cement  protected  girders,  and  the  ceiling 


350  APPENDIX 

asbestos  covered.  The  space  under  awninged  platform,  which  will 
cross  the  entire  front  of  the  dwelling  as  well  as  the  west  porch, 
could  be  utilized  for  an  83-foot  bowling  alley,  with  loop-the-loop 
return  groove  (if  of  glass  it  would  neither  sag  nor  warp).  It  must 
be  well  windowed  at  front  and  ends,  connect  with  lavatory  and 
shower,  and  have  an  exterior  entrance.  The  billiard  room  placed  in 
the  basement  to  insure  an  immovable  spirit-level  foundation  can  be 
floored  with  scagliola,  have  fireplace  sided  with  stone  settles,  large 
windows,  and  plastered  walls  of  sand  finish,  appropriately  calcimined. 

The  west  porch-room,  duplicating  the  east  in  size,  may  be 
arranged  for  enclosing  either  with  wire  screen  or  glass  as  season 
of  the  year  dictates,  floor  of  red  cement  marked  off  in  24-inch  squares, 
and  fireplace  and  chimney  breast  of  lichen-covered  cobble  stones,  topped 
above  roof  with  brick.  At  one  side  of  the  fireplace  build  a  porch 
closet  for  wraps,  books  and  toys.  Rooms  may  be  wainscoted  to  a 
height  of  seven  feet  with  wall  area  above  plate  rack  burlapped,  painted 
and  stenciled,  the  ceiling  of  cement  on  wire  lath  stained  Pompeiian 
red,  and  crossed  by  two  large  ebonized  beams.  French  casements 
connect  with  the  pergola. 

The  porte  cochere,  which  for  convenience  will  connect  with  the 
east  wing,  might  have  its  outer  end  sheltered  by  a  windowed,  settled 
and  fireplaced  coachman's  nook  or  ombra  in  whose  exterior  wall  is  a 
Pompeiian  drinking  fountain.  Rust-proof  metal  lanterns  set  high 
above  carriage  top  flank  the  sides  of  the  stop-draught  entrance.  Arriv- 
ing guests  peered  down  upon  by  repellent,  rabid-mouthed,  grotesquely 
molded  gargoyles  may  on  occasion  be  warmly  welcomed  by  glow- 
ing, sputtering  logs. 

The  east  porch-room,  strictly  an  entrance,  twelve  by  eighteen 
feet,  reached  by  three  steps  cut  from  a  single  block  of  granite,  a  true 
century  wearer,  is  fitted  with  sash-hung  windows,  to  be  com- 
pletely glassed  in  and  heated  in  inclement  weather.  The  centre 
walk  to  the  front  door  may  be  built  five  feet  wide,  of  red  quarry  tile, 
laid  slightly  convex,  with  half-inch  white  joints  and  the  space  on 
each  side  filled  with  plants  set  in  mossy  banks  sloping  upward  to 
the  top  of  the  two-foot  stone  foundation.  Drooping  ferns,  orchids, 
Southern  mosses  and  Southern  birds  would  give  both  color  and 
life  to  such  an  entrance  porch.  Centreing  the  flare  of  the  over-door- 
way can  be  inset  shield  or  head  and  in  recognition  of  the  custom  of 
the  centuries  a  motto  traced  in  the  door  sill. 

The  lintel  over  a  single  seven  by  nine  foot  door  whose  wide  open 
swing  proclaims  hospitality  can  be  finished  at  the  ends  with  carved 
griffin  heads. 

Siding  the  entrance,  with  halberd  close  gripped,  stands  as  warder 
a  full  suit  of  armor  whose  former  owner  possibly  crossed  swords 
with  the  Saracen. 


DETAILS  OF  THE  VILLA   OF  IMPORT          351 

We  are  planning  the  Villa  of  Import  as  a  two-level  house. 
Within,  three  steps  to  the  left  will  lead  upward  to  a  loggia  recep- 
tion room  which  connects  with  the  staircase  hall,  while  on  the  right 
of  the  entrance  hall  with  its  sixteen-foot  cambered-beamed  ceiling 
decorated  in  Arabesque  style,  and  at  the  same  lower  level,  is  the 
dining  room,  also  with  a  sixteen-foot  ceiling,  but  domed,  and  a 
true  ellipse,  the  lost  corners  utilized  as  closets  in  adjoining  hall 
and  room.  A  small  electric,  fern-edged  fountain  may  centre  a  white 
tiled  alcove,  large  enough  for  a  few  potted  plants,  to  brighten  this 
somewhat  unusual  room.  The  outer  wall  of  the  house  above  the 
glass  roofed  alcove  may  be  filled  from  arch  to  frieze  height  with  large 
stained  glass  window  in  sylvan  design. 

Fluted  pilasters  with  Ionic  caps  edge  window  and  door  open- 
ings, and  support  pediments,  the  former  with  under-panel.  All  door 
head  panels  are  decorated  and  a  line  of  Colonial  dentals  circles 
the  room.  An  ingle  centred  by  a  fireplace  flanked  by  red  leather- 
covered  settles  extends  along  the  inside  wall,  its  low  seven-foot  ceil- 
ing allowing  a  seven-foot-stud  mezzanine  den  overhead,  reached  by 
a  door  from  the  minstrels'  balcony  which  overlooks  the  entrance 
hall  and  is  lighted  by  low  leaded  casements  in  an  oriel  window  swing- 
ing open  into  the  dining  room  near  ceiling  line.  The  dining  room 
floor  is  of  kiln-dried  eight-inch  oak  planks,  inset  with  ebonized  keys 
four  feet  apart.  Its  sixteen-foot  height  is  a  pronounced  feature, 
the  door  opening  fourteen  feet  high,  but  a  copper-set,  stained-glass 
transom  reduces  the  space  to  nine  feet,  the  same  height  as  the  front 
door.  Portieres  are  impressively  hung  the  entire  height  of  fourteen 
feet.  A  leaded,  clear  plate-glass  cabinet  can  be  built  in  the  chimney 
breast,  high  above  the  mantel  shelf. 

One  of  the  two  doors  leading  to  butler's  pantry  is  fitted  with 
rim  protected  dish  shelves  and  pivoted,  swinging  to  either  din- 
ing room  or  pantry,  while  the  other  doorway  is  grilled  down  to  a 
five-foot  nine-inch  height,  screening  upper  pantry  shelves,  and  has  a 
closely  fitting  sliding  door  controlled  by  foot  pressure.  Care  must 
be  taken  that  neither  door  is  in  line  with  that  opening  from  butler's 
pantry  to  kitchen. 

The  balance  of  the  floor  area  we  will  divide  into  library,  living 
room,  studio-den,  reception  room  and  palm-decorated  corridor  which, 
if  built  with  groined  ceiling,  entered  beneath  spandreled  arches,  and 
its  walls  hung  with  family  portraits,  may  aspire  to  the  dignity  of  an 
ancestral  hall. 

The  library,  sided  with  a  semi-polygon  bay,  has  one  end  wall 
built  inward  a  foot  to  inset  deep  Georgian  windows  centred  with 
book  mark  design,  this  plan  allowing  of  broad  cushioned  settle  with 
convenient  ambry  at  either  side.  A  wall  fountain  might  fill  a  panel 
in  the  lower  half  of  one  Georgian  window,  protected  in  the  outer 
house  wall  bv  a  bas-relief  in  Caen  stone.  Bookcases  should  have  not 


352  APPENDIX 

only  leather  dust  guards,  but  ventilating  metal  roll  curtains,  securely 
locking  on  occasion. 

The  living  room  with  its  barreled  or  segmented  ceiling  has 
appropriate  mural  paintings  in  half  moons  in  the  two  end  walls 
and  a  ten-foot  square  sheet  of  plate  glass  overlooks  a  semi-wild  rr.id- 
summer  tiny  garden,  a  tangle  of  color  springing  up  from  greensward, 
glass  imprisoned.  Walls  are  Caen  stone  lined  off  in  blocks. 

The  little  den  reception  room  may  connect  with  boudoir 
suite  by  a  narrow,  steep,  hidden  stairway  reached  through  a  sliding 
panel  in  a  closet. 

Trim  and  floors  of  all  rooms  on  this  story,  except  one  with 
intarsiatura  trim  and  the  white  enamel  kitchen,  are  oak,  as  are  also 
all  main  staircases  and  halls. 

The  main  fumed  oak  staircase  should  be  close  string  with  thick, 
wide  balustrade  and  panels  of  two-inch  stuff  in  a  sawed-out  design, 
tool-edged.  Stair  rails,  out  of  respect  for  childhood  and  age,  as  "well  as 
to  protect  the  frequent  recklessness  of  maturity,  must  be  three-feet 
six-inches  high. 

A  minstrels'  balcony  mid-way  on  the  stair  can  be  supported 
by  brackets  ending  in  carved  panther  heads.  A  hall  lavatory  is 
practically  stolen  from  the  cellar,  and  reached  by  half-a-dozen  steps 
leading  downward. 

The  newel  text,  worth  careful  thought,  may  be  preached  in 
wood,  glass,  and  bronze.  The  wood,  a  squared  newel  with  metal 
beaded  corner  insets,  extends  to  trimmer  height,  and  is  braced  against 
the  ceiling  by  gorgon  heads;  the  glass,  an  eight-inch  crystal  globe 
capping  a  low  brass  newel,  ends  a  metal  balustrade,  while  the 
bronze,  a  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion,  flaunts  aloft  a  banner  of  light, 
still  in  a  righteous  cause. 

A  seven-foot  high  electrically  equipped  cathedral  lantern  hangs 
from  the  ceiling  and  a  marble  fernery  half  circles  the  space  under 
arched  stair  soffit. 

On  the  second  story  a  solid  balustrade  of  lath  and  plaster  makes 
a  fine  background  for  a  strip  of  rare  tapestry  or  a  plaster  frieze. 

Banish  the  funnel  stairway  by  placing  stairs  from  second  to 
third  story,  shut  in  by  portieres,  at  one  side  leaving  a  clear  space  for 
a  high  cambered  beamed  ceiling  over  the  main  staircase. 

Back  stairs  extend  from  basement  to  attic,  with  risers  from  first 
to  second  story  hall  of  translucent  wire  glass,  which  aids  materially 
in  cellar  lighting.  Plastered  stair  soffits  are  firmly  held  by  cross 
wooden  moldings,  and  the  upper  half  of  the  enclosed  stair  is  of  glass. 
Upper  stairs  may  be  built  open  string,  with  Colonial  curlicues  each 
side  of  step,  balusters  set  alternately  in  twos  and  threes  and  tied 
with  short  pieces  of  wood  two  inches  from  top  and  bottom,  the 
rail  moulded  to  form  a  firm  hand  support. 


THE  MASTER'S  SUITE  353 

One  ever-present  dust  gatherer,  the  corner  where  tread  and 
riser  meet,  on  the  upper  back  stair  is  banished  by  closely  filling  each 
corner  with  a  three-sided  bit  of  burnished  brass.  A  mid-stair  plat- 
form, lack  of  winders,  and  ample  head  room  yield  good  accident 
insurance  during  the  life  of  a  house. 

That  third  story  hall  where  pulpit-front  built  on  long  collar 
beams  peers  down  at  the  stair  climber  ( the  scheme  giving  an  unusually 
high  hall  ceiling)  can  be  lighted  by  three  crowns  hung  on  a  chain, 
each  circle  a  trifle  larger  than  the  one  above,  daytime  lighting  being 
accomplished  by  a  wide  roof  lift  dormer. 

Among  kitchen  appointments  (the  range  end  being  galleyed) 
include  a  glass-set  hood  over  a  combination  gas,  electric  and  coal 
range,  with  ash  pit  and  brass  pipe  connections,  an  auxiliary  gas 
heater  set  under  the  easy  to  heat  copper  boiler,  a  garbage  incin- 
erator, grease  trap,  soap-stone  table  tops,  and  a  safety  valve  on 
the  boiler.  Kitchen  walls  are  best  if  white  tiled  to  a  height  of 
at  least  five  feet,  all  trim  painted  enamel  white,  and  the  floor  of 
non-dust-crumbling  cement  bisected  with  strips  of  comfort-yielding 
cork  matting.  This  room  as  well  as  all  servants'  quarters  should 
have  a  sanitary  base,  vermin-balking  walls  and  corners,  and  floors 
and  walls  deadened.  Bedrooms  over  the  kitchen  as  well  as  the 
range  chimney  are  better  if  deadened  and  air-spaced. 

The  sink  of  seamless  porcelain  and  a  set  wash  basin  which  solves 
an  aggravating  domestic  problem  will  be  six  inches  higher  than 
usual  in  both  kitchen  and  butler's  pantry,  and  the  radiator  of  the 
latter  made  in  the  form  of  a  plate  warmer.  The  range  hood  will  be 
aided  in  its  efforts  to  send  odors  skyward  by  a  small  electric  fan 
placed  in  the  chimney  flue.  A  water  pipe  set  close  beside  the  range 
conveniently  fills  pots  and  kettles,  and  a  metal  scrub  cloth  box  can 
be  fastened  against  the  chimney  breast  connecting  with  a  brick, 
air-lifting  ventilating  chamber,  which  adjoins  the  always  heated 
range  flue. 

An  enameled  steel  cabinet,  a  metal  frame  over  the  table,  cook- 
ing utensils  of  non-rusting  and  non-flaking  aluminum  and  a  fireless 
cooker  set  at  waist  height  should  be  among  the  appointments.  A 
funnel-ceilinged  corridor  proves  a  court  of  last  resort  for  all  kitchen 
odors.  Trim  in  the  service  portion  of  the  house  should  be  plain  and 
non-dust  holding,  and  beaded  wainscot  if  used  of  convex  mold. 

The  basement  laundry  will  have  large  windows,  wooden  floors, 
and  make  an  additional  sitting  hall  for  servants,  its  four  porcelain 
tubs  equipped  with  non-projecting  faucets,  set  back  to  back  in  the 
centre  of  this  well-lighted  room,  and  when  not  in  use  wooden  covered, 
forming  a  table. 

On  the  second  story  plan  the  master's  suite  the  full  length 
of  the  house,  forty  feet,  and  eighteen  feet  wide,  the  fourth  com- 
pass point  compassed  by  a  broad  bay.  A  room  of  four  exclama- 


354  APPENDIX 

tion  points,  size,  air,  sunshine,  view,  rivaling  in  comfort  a  city 
apartment,  but  far  larger,  divorced  from  air  shaft  and  alley,  and  in 
a  realm  of  pure  air  and  health  yielding  sunshine.  Two-thirds  of  the 
forty  feet  would  make  a  morning  boudoir  or  upstairs  sitting  room; 
the  bedroom  and  bathroom  end  to  be  grilled  and  portiered.  This 
bedroom  may  have  a  fireplace  in  an  ingle,  with  side  settles,  and  be 
connected  with  a  glass-enclosed  room  built  over  three-quarters  of  the 
roof  of  the  porch-room?  making  a  true  sun-room  featured  with 
flowering  plants.  The  outdoor  sleeping  gallery  floored  with  canvas 
not  so  lavishly  painted  as  to  crack,  covers  the  remainder  of  the 
porch-room  roof  and  connects  with  a  roofed  gym.  over  the  porte 
cochere,  to  be  decorated  with  rough  bark  covered  boxes  of  plants  atop 
the  rail,  in  winter  changed  to  evergreens.  It  can  be  used  as  a  corridor 
to  reach  the  small  rest-room  with  fireplace,  built  over  the  coachman's 
nook,  in  one  of  our  houses  termed  a  luxury  until  use  proved  it  a 
necessity.  Over  the  gym.  and  rest-room,  under  the  roof,  a  low, 
well-lighted  and  ventilated  pistol  gallery  is  bulwarked  by  the  big 
stone  porte  cochere  chimney  breast. 

The  lower  part  of  a  closet  in  the  master's  suite  conceals  an 
electrically-protected  silver  safe.  The  bathroom  of  this  suite,  featured 
with  shower  jog  formed  by  two  closets,  one  opening  to  the  bath- 
room, a  fireplace,  tub  six  feet  long,  a  bidet  and  a  shut-off  valve  toilet, 
has  the  ceiling  preferably  furred  down  to  seven  feet,  side-walls  tiled 
to  ceiling,  floors  tiled  and  sill  of  marble.  Mirrored  doors,  medicine 
closets,  a  high-set  leaded  light  window  and  hall  connection  are  most 
desirable. 

A  guest  room  with  bath  closet,  one  general  bathroom  and  three 
additional  bedrooms,  one  of  which  may  acceptably  join  a  sleeping 
porch,  should  be  on  this  floor.  A  bedroom  with  double  doors  con- 
nects with  an  adjoining  bedroom  and  another  has  a  shaving  jog 
arranged  for  ample  light  night  or  day.  A  built-out  sun  bathroom 
supported  by  heavy  brackets,  facing  south  and  west,  and  a  skylight 
flooding  the  little  alcove  with  health-giving  rays  may  come  under 
the  head  of  extravagance  but  comfort  will  heartily  endorse  its  build- 
ing. One  bathtub  can  be  inset  eighteen  inches  and  rail  protected, 
the  space  below  taken  from  a  closet.  Another  may  be  planned  with 
a  square  tub  4'  x  4'  and  fourteen  inches  deep  for  children.  Bathroom 
appointments  might  schedule  also  a  shampoo  fixture,  sitz-bath,  elec- 
tric bath  cabinets  and  in  one  a  cane-seated  chair  to  disguise  the  noise- 
less toilet.  A  Pompeiian,  plant  decorated  bathroom  will  be  lighted 
by  an  electrically  fitted  glass  dome.  Outflow  pipes  should  be  twice 
the  size  of  inflow  and  plumbing  pipes  kept  from  exterior  walls  and 
when  crossing  ceilings  (crossings  to  be  mainly  in  the  cellar)  asbestos- 
covered,  decreasing  the  drip  from  condensation.  An  air  chamber 
cushions  the  noisy  back  kick  of  water  pipes  and  back  air  pipes  near 
hot  water  pipes  give  uptake  draft. 


BEDROOMS  AND  BATHROOMS  355 

Water  and  heating  pipes  should  be  carried  to  porch  rooms  and 
sleeping  porches  and  when  not  used  capped,  and  sill  cocks,  including 
one  non-freezing,  installed  at  important  exterior  points. 

Careful  planning  will  evolve  a  secret  room  6'  x  6'  x  6'. 

In  a  Moorish  room  the  bed  alcove  may  be  arched  from  floor  to 
ceiling  with  a  Moorish  arch  fifteen  feet  wide  at  the  centre  and  the 
same  design  carried  out  in  the  brick  arch  of  a  fireplace.  Transoms 
may  be  regulated  by  inset  wall  fixtures  instead  of  the  usual  ugly 
adjuster,  some  panels  fronting  closets  fitted  with  invisible  locks  and 
hinges  and  where  wainscots  are  not  used  the  base  trim  of  main  rooms 
made  eighteen  inches  high. 

The  second-story  hall  will  have  a  fireplace  and  in  a  far  away 
corner  on  this  floor  it  may  be  possible  to  work  in  a  convenient, 
windowed  trunk  and  storage  room  and  a  housemaid's  sink  closet. 
A  dark  hall  and  stair  landing  may  be  lighted  by  a  glass  transom  over 
a  bedroom  door,  and  a  bedroom  with  but  one  outside  wall  gains 
ventilation  and  light  from  a  transom  or  translucent  glass  window 
opening  into  a  hall. 

The  silver  sheen  of  the  bird's-eye  maple  room  in  both  trim  and 
furniture  can  be  kept  by  selecting  a  northern  exposure,  realizing  that 
sun-baked  bird's-eye  maple  takes  on  a  dingy  yellow  meerschaum  shade. 

A  curved  top  bed-head  alcove  with  twin  beds  placed  on  a  round- 
cornered  dais  would  permit  at  either  side  closets  for  madame  and 
master.  Over  a  brass  rod  extending  outward  from  the  wall  tapestry 
may  be  draped. 

The  theft  of  a  bedroom  closet  from  a  larger  room  without 
causing  an  ugly  jog  to  ceiling  height  in  either  can  be  easily  accom- 
plished by  building  a  false  front  cabinet  six  feet  high,  the  interior 
to  be  lathed  and  plastered  and  entered  from  the  smaller  room. 

Bedrooms  not  connected  with  bathrooms  will  have  dressing 
rooms,  allowing  open  window  sleeping  of  the  chilliest  but  healthiest 
kind. 

The  third  story  shall  have  one  large  room  with  a  broad  bay, 
three  servants'  bedrooms,  and  a  bathroom  sided  with  sheets  of  white 
glass.  On  this  floor  there  could  be  a  cement-walled,  wooden-floored, 
children's  play  room,  deadened  under-floor,  and  walls  decorated 
with  nursery  tales,  vaulted  ceiling  painted  to  represent  a  winter's 
sky,  and  the  explanatory  astronomical  key  framed  in  a  door  panel. 
Windows  should  be  high  and  wide  and  protected  by  low  grilles.  A 
tower  billiard  room  ceiled  to  the  peak  might  be  decorated  with  fleecy 
clouds  and  darting  swallows.  In  an  attic  studio  on  the  north, 
windows  should  be  guarded  by  low  metal  grilles,  and  extend  from 
one  foot  above  the  floor  to  ceiling  height.  From  the  peak  could  be 
suspended  a  trio  of  geese  headed  due  north. 

The  clerestory,  our  room-in-the-air,  has  little  in  common  with 
the  hot,  barely-enough-space-to-turn-in,  cupola  of  the  village  squire, 


356  APPENDIX 

often  half-filled  with  dried  apples,  musty  newspapers,  and  dis- 
carded garments.  This  is  a  plate  glass-walled  view  room  with 
overhanging  sun  and  rain  sheltering  roof,  cooled  by  weather-proof 
ventilators  placed  at  its  highest  point,  aided  by  electric  fans,  the 
fireplace,  out  of  respect  to  Dame  Architecture,  fitted  with  a  gas  log, 
and  fronted  by  a  broad  davenport. 

One  of  the  eight  or  ten  fireplaces  in  the  house  shall  have  a  plate 
glass,  brass  rimmed  screen  extending  the  view  of  the  cheerful  blaze 
four  feet  up  chimney,  and  a  fender  topped  with  a  narrow  leather 
seat  fronting  the  hearth.  In  one  room  the  over-mantel  can  be  sup- 
ported by  caryatides,  in  another  the  hood  covered  with  leather  tooled 
in  heraldic  design  in  shimmering  silver,  and  in  a  third  the  shelf  sup- 
ported by  ormolu  brackets  with  onyx  facing. 

A  picture  window  set  not  over  four  feet  from  the  floor  and  centre- 
ing a  chimney  breast  (which  is  to  have  two  flues  and  a  split  chimney 
at  ridge  line)  causes,  at  times,  a  seven-hued  winter  sunset  to  vie 
in  coloring  with  a  seven-hued  driftwood  fire. 

As  the  raised  hearth  increases  fire  risk,  we  will  omit  it.  A  Tif- 
fany three-faced  feudal  fireplace,  with  blazing  fagots  flashing  three 
ways,  could  be  built  in  "that  brain  room"  where  the  roof  slopes  to 
plate  line. 

The  throne  of  the  fire  king  must  centre  his  group  of  devotees, 
rather  than  elbow  too  closely  door  and  window.  In  a  draughty 
hall  arrange  for  iron  baffles  to  semi-shackle  that  ninety  per  cent, 
up-chimney  waste  of  heat. 

A  far-away  room  has  a  mantel  face  of  cement  sprinkled  with 
silver,  gold  and  bronze  powders,  and  thimbles  are  inset  in  chimney 
breast  in  several  attic  rooms  and  upper  hall. 

Mirrors  are  much  in  evidence,  some  triplicate  for  dress-fitting 
and  with  special  overhead  lights.  In  a  room  facing  north,  wall 
mirrors  might  be  so  juggled  as  to  give  a  strong  reflected  light,  and 
narrow  mirrors  between  door  and  window  openings  crossed  by 
curved  muntins,  but  none  so  set  over  a  mantel  as  to  reflect  the  ugly 
back  of  a  clock. 

Decoration,  whether  rococo,  the  best  in  Nouveau  art,  burlap, 
paint,  or  paper,  covers  a  wide  field.  In  the  dining  room,  Colonial, 
pictorial  designs  of  country  life  can  be  used,  in  one  room  restless 
red  and  possibly  in  the  library  restful  green,  but  polychrome  effects 
will  be  absolutely  barred,  as  well  as  the  stain  wrongly  placed. 

Burlap  painted,  then  roughly  cloth-rubbed  before  drying,  will 
give  an  hygienic  surface  and  also  a  suggestion  of  the  Japanese  silk 
fibre  effect,  minus  its  microbe-catching  ends. 

As  a  wood  preservative,  air  is  often  as  efficacious  as  paint  and 
certainly  does  not  promulgate  dry  rot,  at  times  the  result  of  painting 
green  wood.  Oxygen,  whether  permeating  lungs  of  man  or  fibres  of 
matter,  prolongs  life. 


FIREPLACES  AND  DECORATION  357 

Closet  walls  should  be  painted  and  then  coated  with  spar  varnish. 

In  place  of  the  barn-like,  all-wooden  sliding  door,  we  can  use 
leaded  glass  in  the  upper  half,  the  pockets  ceiled  against  dust  and 
noise.  In  the  basement  the  outer  door  should  be  four  feet  wide,  and 
glazed  to  aid  in  making  the  term  "basement"  a  misnomer. 

Recesses  there  can  be  in  goodly  measure,  whether  in  the 
form  of  a  usable  ingle  spaced  for  unscorched  comfort,  a  billiard 
alcove  large  enough  to  squelch  profanity,  a  solarium — a  veritable 
Sahara  in  July  and  August  but  a  welcome  retreat  in  March  and 
November — a  simple  jog  under  a  staircase  or  'gainst  a  chimney, 
arranged  for  a  built-in  chest  of  drawers  with  rollers  and  guide  strips, 
a  nest  of  pigeon  holes,  or  a  pokehole  closet  for  magazines  and  papers, 
remembering  that  closets  and  bays  make  good  safety  valves  for  ugly 
square  box  rooms. 

Parquetry  floors  of  seven-eighths  stuff  instead  of  thin  veneer 
prevent  warping  but  should  not  be  narrowed  by  strongly  contrast- 
ing borders. 

The  passing  of  the  door  saddle  means  less  dust,  disturbance  of 
carpets  and  space  shortening  but  generally  at  floor  line  a  wider 
opening. 

A  developing  closet  will  have  porcelain  sink,  ventilating  fan, 
and  colored  glass  inset  in  door. 

The  list  of  hardware  requirements  should  include  espagnolette 
bolts,  double-action  butts,  drop  escutcheons,  cut  glass  knobs,  old- 
fashioned  latches,  bead-edged,  brass  finger  plates,  window  lifts  and 
check  valves.  A  gilded,  decorated  reception  alcove  could  have  gold- 
plated  hardware  at  moderate  expense. 

All  casements  and  glass  doors  should  have  rubber  plugs  set  in 
the  door  frames,  and  window  stops  may  have  adjustable  socket 
screws  to  match  hardware. 

Blinds  and  gutters  are  essentials  requiring  our  best  thought. 

Copper  flashing  and  calking  with  oakum  and  white  lead  at  the 
right  time,  and  in  the  right  place,  save  much  trouble  farther  on, 
and  effectually  circumscribe  King  Moisture's  realm. 

Seaweed,  felt,  and  heavy  paper  will  be  necessary  as  floor  and 
wall  linings  and  for  sound  deadening. 

In  plastering  (made  non-sound  carrying)  where  angle  irons  are 
not  used  corners  are  rounded  in  the  plaster.  All  walls  are  plas- 
tered to  the  floor. 

Every  ceiling  in  the  house  will  be  insured  by  either  canvas  or 
burlap  firmly  fastened  against  it  and  decorated  as  desired,  but  neither 
this  nor  wall  covering  of  any  kind  should  be  used  until  months  of 
drying  out  have  brought  the  walls  to  a  state  of  absolute  dryness. 
The  correct  proportion  of  plaster  of  paris,  proper  mixing,  applica- 
tion, and  non-freezing  of  plaster  prevent  pockmarked,  easily  rubbed 
walls. 


358  APPENDIX 

Box-windows  sliding  upward  into  the  house  wall  give  wider 
vision  in  a  low-studded  room.  In  the  nursery,  windows  may  be  set 
high  and  partially  metal  grilled,  reaching  to  ceiling  height  where 
there  is  more  sunshine  to  the  square  foot,  and  in  laundry  and  ser- 
vants' hall,  where  the  ground  and  step-down  area  admit,  should  span 
the  entire  space  from  floor  to  ceiling.  In  front  of  cellar  windows 
ribbed  glass  reflectors  can  be  suspended,  greatly  increasing  the  light. 
A  western  picture  window  realistically  gilt  framed  and  wire  hung 
would  shame  the  artist's  most  impressive  sunsets,  while  a  more  pre- 
tentious picture  window  could  be  pivoted.  Corner  windows  give 
wider  views  and  less  draughty  ventilation.  Windows  should  be 
hung  with  metal  chains  over  brass  pulleys.  Non-corroding  semi- 
invisible  screens  with  insect  escape  cover  the  entire  window  and,  as 
a  farther  disguise,  have  their  hinged  frames  painted  to  match  the 
exterior  trim.  Elizabethan  grouped  windows  would  certainly  give 
tone  to  the  dining  room.  Overhead  the  highest  second  story  sleepers 
we  will  place  ventilating  hood  windows  in  the  gable  peaks,  hinged 
from  the  top  and  swinging  outward,  using  as  storm-warders  incon- 
spicuous baffles  back  of  the  windows.  Step-up  platforms  will  lower 
high  attic  dormers. 

All  windows  shall  be  fitted  with  non-rusting  metal  weather- 
strips and  in  some  inset  glass  hinged  ventilators. 

The  sleepless  arch  as  seen  in  the  round-headed  Roman,  the 
peaked  Tudor,  and  the  ogived  Gothic,  we  will  use  in  hall,  billiard 
room,  stair  and  fireplace  opening,  and  on  a  side  porch  as  an  effective 
stone  flying  arch.  In  the  same  side  porch  the  windows  can  be  made 
to  drop  downward  into  the  rail,  being  protected  by  a  weather  cap, 
but  the  old-fashioned  stored  in  the  basement  or  attic  method  is  gen- 
erally the  most  satisfactory. 

The  electrical  field  will  include  an  arrangement  to  close  one 
bathroom  door  when  the  other  opens,  a  cut-glass  cabinet  electrically 
lighted,  electric  range,  washer  and  mangle  in  kitchen  and  laundry, 
and  a  device  to  keep  that  block  of  ice  frozen. 

In  winter  the  electric  fan  will  force  radiators  to  do  double  work 
and  at  all  seasons  fan  dishes  dry,  effectually  supplanting  the  too 
often  insanitary  dish  towel.  The  dining  room  will  have  a  floor  bell 
and  in  a  dry  basement  tool  room  we  can  plan  for  an  electric  forge 
and  lathe.  Opening  and  closing  a  hall  closet  door  will  automatically 
turn  on  or  off  an  electric  light,  a  check  valve  preventing  waste. 
Every  closet  must  have  electric  light,  either  cord  or  wall  hung. 

Radiators  ample  in  capacity  may  be  concealed  with  settle,  silk 
fringe,  stair  riser,  metal  grille,  or  other  device,  remembering  that 
when  glass  exceeds  one-eighth  of  the  wall  area  greater  heating 
capacity  is  required. 

In  the  awninged,  cement-floored  veranda  fronting  the  house  and 
roofing  the  proposed  bowling  alley,  the  rail  can  be  broken  by  two 


EXTERIOR  FEATURES  359 

projecting  settles  which,  if  placed  equidistant  from  ends,  will  vary 
the  stiff,  straight  balustrade  line  and  give  unobstructed  view;  gal- 
vanized iron  wire  mesh  forming  the  seat  under  water-proofed  canvas 
cushions. 

A  side  porch  will  be  shielded  but  not  shadowed  from  the  north- 
west winter  winds  by  a  framed  sheet  of  plate  glass  fastened  firmly  at 
settle  top  and  porch  eave,  and  the  lower  light  of  the  porch  window 
screened  with  leaded  glass. 

Cellar  bulkhead  doors  fitted  with  wire-glass  set  in  metal  cov- 
ered frames,  buttresses  at  their  sides  raised  three  feet  above  grade, 
will  balk  that  burning-over  fire  that  sometimes  reaches  a  bulk- 
head door ;  built  of  cement  and  hollowed  for  plants  they  would 
brighten  the  servants'  porch  end  of  the  house. 

The  swimming  pool,  an  outdoor  affair,  glass  enclosed  in  winter, 
serves  the  double  purpose  of  reflecting  the  villa  "from  turret  to 
foundation  stone,"  as  well  as  flowering  shrub  and  towering  elm,  and 
gives  exhilarating  enjoyment  on  warm  sultry  days,  the  incoming 
water  filtered  for  germ  protection.  Electric  lights  circle  its  edge. 
The  expense  of  building  may  be  somewhat  curtailed  as  the  soil 
can  be  used  to  grade  the  pool-centred  esplanade  connecting  by  an 
arbre-arched  gate  with  a  patio,  which  will  greatly  aid  in  giving  a 
true  infront  and  outfront. 

A  fireproof  filing-cabinet-room,  10'xlO'xlO'  (which  may  prove 
a  grand  money  saver)  can  be  built  about  fifty  feet  from  the  house, 
in  which  to  store  maps,  deeds,  valuable  papers,  films,  plates,  etc. 
Constructed  of  cement,  lined  with  boiler  iron,  and  electrically  con- 
nected with  the  owner's  room  by  wire  buried  in  a  cement-grouted 
ditch,  it  will  prove  a  first  class  time  and  money  saver,  located  on  trifle 
lower  ground  than  the  house  site,  and  the  roof,  capped  with  a  belve- 
dere of  cement,  iron  and  tile,  it  would  make  a  capital  tea  and  break- 
fast room  as  well  as  a  siesta  nook,  the  connecting  walk  to  the  east 
porch-room  shaded  by  a  vine-embowered  and  plant  centred  pergola 
which,  with  belvedere,  would  completely  disguise  the  somewhat  com- 
mercial appearance  of  the  filing-room,  give  presence  far  in  excess  of 
the  additional  expense,  and  improve  infront  and  outfront. 

If  a  tree  grows  close  to  the  servants'  porch  encircle  it  with  the 
platform  that  leads  to  the  clothes  yard,  and  in  the  largest  limb 
crotch  build  a  tree  eyrie  reached  by  railed  and  platformed  steps. 
From  its  topmost  branches  a  bird  trolley  can  travel  to  the  box- 
greenery  window  in  the  sewing-room,  and  occasionally  the  more 
courageous  songsters  may  venture  among  the  house  plants. 

In  the  exterior  wall,  as  in  the  old  Saxon  days,  may  be  attempted 
a  copper  or  terra  cotta  panel  designed  along  graffito  lines. 

The  pergola,  which  can  be  made  an  extravagant  adjunct  or  an 
inexpensive  adornment,  will  help  greatly  in  dragging  down  the 
height  of  the  house  and  connect  it  with  the  extension  Colonial  flower- 


360  APPENDIX 

garden  which  joins  the  west  terrace.  "That  garden  is  a  lovesome 
spot,  God  wot,  rose  plot,  fringed  pool,  ferned  grot." 

Whitewash  in  colors  will  enable  us  to  line  out  the  entire  first 
and  second  floors  on  the  greensward  before  lifting  a  shovelful  of  earth, 
and  we  shall  be  greatly  aided  in  building  by  archetypes  of  wood  or 
cardboard,  one-eighth  scale,  of  each  house,  which  can  be  dissected  and 
changed  before  nailing  up  the  first  batten  board.  Grounds  can  be 
laid  out  in  miniature  and  photographs  and  planting  arranged  and 
rearranged  in  the  model.  After  house  is  enclosed  we  can  tempor- 
arily partition  it  in  a  day  with  mason's  grounds  for  inspection  and 
change. 

Conveniences  ranging  from  a  key-cabinet  to  a  thermostat 
include  a  coil  of  water  piping  in  the  ice-box,  niches  at  each  side  of 
the  front  door,  in  hall  wall,  over  entrance  door,  and  in  gala  room, 
a  telephone  jog  large  enough  to  hold  a  guest  book,  and  a  utility  closet. 

Careful  planning  to  fit  the  house  to  the  site  will  make  the  liv- 
ing room  face  south  and  west,  dining  room  east,  library  north,  and 
kitchen  north  and  east,  remembering  also  that  poor  landscaping  and 
an  unnecessary  net  work  of  drives  and  paths  may  blemish  a  fine  con- 
ception. 

While  our  two  type  houses  embody  a  wide  range  of  features, 
the  get-it-in-at-all-hazards  spirit,  which  so  persistently  dogs  the 
footsteps  of  the  obsessed  amateur  builder,  must  be  strenuously  fought. 
It  is  good  planning  to  have  three  stop-off  stations  in  that  journey 
from  batten  board  to  latch  key,  giving  at  each  two  or  three  days  of 
thought,  before  studding,  before  plastering,  before  trimming.  Altera- 
tions then  made  would  often  prevent  those  ugly  afterthought  work- 
outs which  raspingly  stand  by  one  for  life. 

In  house  building  we  often  lose  sight  of  such  expensive  essen- 
tials as  foundation,  roof,  chimney,  window,  and  door,  the  matter- 
of-course  things,  but  are  apt  to  most  enjoy  and  more  clearly  remem- 
ber and  note  for  reference  the  comparatively  inexpensive  things: 
that  marble  door  sill,  a  motto,  a  carved  newel,  a  segmented  ceiling, 
a  swinging  leaded  casement,  a  picture  window,  the  lines  of  an  unus- 
ually high,  undoored  opening,  a  white  and  gold  combination  in  a 
bathroom,  semi-conservatory-entrance  porch,  white  tiling  against 
green  plants,  plate  glass  windows,  sleeping  jog,  settled  ingle-nook, 
niche,  even  such  an  insignificant  matter  as  alternating  three 
balusters  on  one  step  and  two  on  the  next.  It  is  easy  to  name  a 
mightily  interesting  list  of  things  which,  judged  by  the  strict  rule 
of  essentials,  are  unnecessary,  yet  well  worth  the  doing  and  minister 
hourly  to  the  enjoyment  of  owner  and  guest  as  long  as  the  house 
is  a  house. 


SIXTY    SOMEWHAT    UNUSUAL   AND    EFFECTIVE    FEATURES 
THAT   WE   HAVE  USED 


Ambry    311 

Astronomical-domed     ceiling-     in 

children's    play    room 228 

Bath  tub   4'x4'xl'2"  for  children  231 
Bookshelves  extending-  across  a 
room     without    a     break    in 

book    line    219 

Burglar-proof    staircase    226 

Cellar  floor,  walls,  and  ceiling 

white  marbleized  225 

Clerestory,  plate  glass,  with 

fireplace  and  wide  overhang  234 

Coal  saver  (in  use  for  25  years)    232 

Cold  grapery  of  inexpensive  de- 
sign    249 

Concealed  lawn  barriers,  ex- 
tending vistas  243 

Conservatory  as  entrance  vesti- 
bule to  the  house 312 

Crater  garden    150 

Crow's    nest    in    the    hemlocks..    134 

Doors,    four   in    one,    fifteen    feet 

wide     277 

Electric  light  in  chimney  for 

ventilation  231 

Entrance  steps  and  stairs  over 
cellar  stairs  with  glass 
risers  for  lighting  cellar...  113 

Fernery  under  stairs  in  place  of 

a  boxed-in  closet 183 

Feudal    drawbridge    and    moat.  .    244 

Fireplace  in  porte  cochSre  and 
porte  coch&re  coachman's 
nook  with  stone  settles....  124 

Fireproof  filing  cabinet  room, 
10'xlO'xlO',  of  cement,  de- 
tached from  house 303 

Flambeau-wall-fireplace    222 

Ford  of  concrete  with  stepping- 
stones  at  side 71 

Freak  fireplace  connecting  with 
two  rooms,  and  with  sepa- 
rating reredos  320 

Guest  stair,  concealed 225 

Hall  lavatory  stolen  from  base- 
ment    152 

Hanging     balcony     held      firmly 

through    two    partitions....    146 
Hobbed    fireplace    opening    10'8"  174 
Hole-in-ground    greenhouse     .  .  .    247 
House     enlarged     yet     not     en- 
larged         158 

Imprisoned    wild    garden 311 

Lintel,       verdure  -  crowned        (a 

large    wardian    case) 325 


Map  of  escape  carved  in  foun- 
tain rim  centreing  the  maze  244 

Mirage   rooms    230 

Moat     and     drawbridge 244 

Norman    feudal    tower    used    as 

pole-centred    fire    escape....    140 

Overhang  of  eight  feet  lower- 
ing and  cooling  house 171 

Partition  wall  of  leaded  glass 
extending  to  ceiling  over 
an  arched  entrance  to  ceil- 
ing    193 

Partitioning  the  entire  house  in 

a  day  328 

Porch  closet  for  books,  wraps, 

and  toys  229 

Porte  coch&re  wire  glass  roofed 
to  prevent  shadowing  of 
rooms  (Appendix) 

Recessed  balcony  in  hall  over 
staircase,  giving  height  and 
light  to  stairway  below....  197 

Rest    room     234 

Secret  rooms    229 

Settle  cut  in  ledge  at  entrance.    132 

Sleeping  jog    (not   a    room) 228 

Sound-proof,    isolated    room    for 

reading  or  writing    124 

Stalking  lion  stair  rail 179 

Steps  and  buttresses  cut  from  a 

solid    block    of    granite 216 

Sub-cellar,  or  favissa,  of  uni- 
form temperature  the  year 
around,  well  drained  and 
ventilated  237 

Telescopic    room     270 

Telescopic    window    216 

Throated  mantel  hood,  a  metal 
frame,  bulged  over  plaster 

of  side  wall 233 

Toddlers'     garden     61 

Trussed    transom    window    bar.  .    144 

Ventilating  corridor  for  kitchen 

odors  223 

Veranda  or  house,  if  vine-clad, 
to  be  oiled  rather  than  re- 
painted    312 

Veranda  roof-eye  large  enough 
to  light  first  floor  rooms.. 

(Appendix) 

Veranda  with  burlap  covered 
walls  over  smooth  cement, 
above  wainscot  and  plate 
rail  239 

Veranda  with  ivy-covered  ceil- 
ing    115 

Yacht    studio    on    land..  .    282 


THREE  HUNDRED  AND  THIRTY  LATCH   STRINGS  TO  COM- 
FORT   AND    LUXURY    IN    HOUSE     AND   GROUNDS.      A 
DESIRABLE  HOUSE  CAN  BE  BUILT  WITHOUT  ONE 
OF  THEM,  YET  ALL  ARE  SOMETIMES  USED 


Ancestral    portrait    gallery 218 

Arboretum      74,  104 

Arched    stair    soffit     183 

Arched-under  house  and  road- 
level-house  307 

Arches,    flying     310 

Areas      draining      into      bricked 

and  sand-bottomed  dry  well  144 

Armored    knights     242 

Arrow    compass     set     in     loggia 

cement    floor    274 

Aviary     243,  296 

Awninged    veranda    239 

Back   plastering    281 

Back    stair    tread    with    dustless 

corners     (Appendix) 

Balustrade,  solid,  of  lath  and 
plaster  construction  capped 

with    wood    183- 

Base  eighteen  inches  high 237 

Base,   sanitary    229,  282 

Basement  appearance  eliminated 
by  use  of  large  windows, 
grilles,  columns,  and  white 

enamel    paint     224 

Basement  billiard  room    331 

Bath    cabinet,    electric 231 

Bath      closet      combining      bath, 

basin,    and    swivel    faucet..  230 

Bathroom    fixtures,    gold    plated  231 
Bathroom       with       barreled       or 

domed    ceiling     231 

Bathroom  with  seven  foot  stud, 
economically  tiled  to  ceil- 
ing, uncapped,  and  readily 

heated     316 

Bathroom   with    two   electrically 

closing    doors    231 

Bath   tub  inset  in  floor 199 

Bath   tub   six  feet  long 230 

Bay,    semi-polygon    189 

Beamed     and     stuccoed     interior 

walls    140 

Bed   alcove   with   curved  top....  197 

Bed  dais  with   rounded   corners.  227 

Belvedere     208 

Bird    trolley    39 

Bookcases        with        ventilating, 

sliding   curtains    219 

Borders    of    English    ivy 243 

Bowling    alley     225 

Box  front   stoop    (Appendix) 

Box   greenery   window 5 

Cabinet   of  enameled  steel 223 

Campanile    213 

Canvas,    odorless    231 

Canvas    protected    ceilings 321 

Caryatides   supporting   mantel.. 

175  233 

Cedar   lined   closets  and   settles.'  228 
Ceiling,      barreled,     with      deco- 
rated   half-moon    ends 189 

Ceiling    cambered     325 

Ceiling,    coved     325 

Ceiling  finished  to  tower  peak..  155 

Cellar    ceiling    asbestos    covered  236 


Cellar  corners  concave  filled 
with  cement  to  ceiling 
line  224 

Cellar    floor    laid    to    drain 224 

Cellar  windows  screened  and 
iron  barred  from  bug, 
rodent  and  burglar 225 

Cement  ash  bin,  metal  covered 
connected  with  range  and 
holding  several  tons  (Appendix) 

Cement  flower  boxes  for  win- 
dow sills  and  step  but- 
tresses    213 

Cement  mixed  with  crude  oil 

for  foundation  work 322 

Cement  walks  with  asphalt  ex- 
pansion seams  310 

Chandelier  built  of  swords  and 

bayonets  281 

Chandelier  or  electrolier  of 
non  -  corroding  glass  for 
conservatory  219 

Chimney  in  porch  or  den  made 

of  lichen  covered  stones....  105 

Chimneys  split  into  two  parts 

above  roof-tree  234 

Chimneys,  exterior,  twin,  of 

stone  146 

Chute  of  cement  for  coal  deliv- 
ery from  bin  to  furnace....  224 

Chute  of  non-rusting  metal  for 

clothes  199,  299 

Closet,    secret    228 

Closet,  ventilated  and  locked  for 
soiled  clothes  in  laundry.. 

199,  229 

Conservatory  on  second  story 

balcony 295 

Convex  screens  for  casement 

windows 215 

Copper  and  brass  thefts  pre- 
vented by  using  substitutes  314 

Cupboard,  exterior,  for  ice  de- 
livery    224 

Cupboard,  exterior,  for  milk  and 

groceries  224 

Dining   room    at   different   level.    130 
Dining   room,   mirrored   and   cir- 
cular        133 

Dish-washing  apparatus    223 

Donjon  and   postern   gates 132 

Door   heads   framed    in   tapestry, 

burnt  wood,  or  plaster  casts  242 

Doors,   blind,    for   bedrooms 227 

Doors,  double,  between  bed- 
rooms    295 

Doors,  double,  on  balcony,  with 
knuckle  and  elbow  joint 

centre    311 

Doors,    double,   to    linen   closet.. 
Doors,    four   feet   wide,    in   base- 
ment        197 

Doors,     invisible     228 

Doors,     oak     banded     and     iron 

studded     217 

Doors,  seven  by  nine,  single,.  .  .  .    161 
Doors,      pivoted,     swiveled     and 

shelved    for   pantry 152 


LATCH  STRINGS 


363 


Doorway   fourteen  feet  high....  130 
Drawers   fitted   with   rollers   and 

guide  strips    235 

Dressing      rooms      heated      con- 
nected  with   sleeping  jog.  .  .  197 

Drying    machine     238 

Dust   flap   for  books 219 

Eighteen    inch    baseboards 324 

Electric  bath  cabinet 231 

Electric       control      of      exterior 
doors      and      lights      from 

within     237 

Electric    handmaiden    238 

Electric    knocker    237 

Elimination    of    door    saddle....  317 

Elliptic     dining     room 133 

Esplanade     203,   214.  217 

Faucet,     non-projecting     224 

Fire    control    devices 331 

i<  ireplace     and     chimney     breast 

tiled    to   ceiling   line 233 

Fire    line    stack    from    cellar    to 

roof    331 

Fire      pipe,      perforated,      along 

roof    ridge     332 

Fireplace  at   each   end   of  room.  218 

Fireplace,    copper    face    breast..  233 

Fireplace,   feudal    232 

Fireplace      hood      of      embossed 

leather     233 

Fireplace,   second   story   hall....  225 

Fireplace,   summer  treatment  of  233 
Fireplace  with   plate  glass  inset 
in     chimney     breast     above 

opening    233 

Fireplace    with    settle    fender    of 

leather    233 

Fire   ropes   of   wire 226 

Fire  tools   six   feet  high 174 

Floor     deadening     over     kitchen 
and     in     servants'     quarters 

and    nursery     293 

Floral     calendar    planting 212 

Floral  ribbon  bordering  a  drive  212 

Flue    constructed    of    round    tile  318 
Flue,      ventilating,      at      ceiling 

height     223 

Forecourt    214 

Forest    nymph     faces     in     wain- 
scoting      241 

Fountain,    electric    193 

Fountain,   wall    189 

Four   compass   point   room 135 

Free-from-odor   house    223 

Funnel    stair    banished    174 

Furnace     in     outbuildings     con- 
nected    by    pipes 236 

Garbage    incinerator     223 

Gargoyles     at     spoutheads     and 

under    brackets     160 

Garret   sanctum    222 

Gas   water   heater   in   kitchen...  223 
Gate     fastening     to     prevent 

sagging    61 

Gazebo    203 

Geese,    trio    of,    suspended    from 
ceiling    to    show    points    of 

compass    241 

Glass   panel   in   sleeping  jog.... 

(Appendix) 

Gold    plated    faucets 231 

Gold  plated  and  aluminum  hard- 
ware      231 

Gorgon     head     161 

Gravel    pits    beautified 22 

Grease    trap     223 

Groined    ceiling    329 

Grotto    under    gazebo 204 

Guest   book   nook    238 


Gymnasium  with  roof,  and 
open  sides  over  porte 

cochere     122 

Hall    draught    stopper 160 

Hall    twenty-five   feet    high 237 

Hall    with    feudal    treatment....    217 
Hall   with   barreled   ceiling   long 

and    narrow 322,  329 

Hardware,    invisible    locks    and 

hinges     228 

Hedge  of  sweet  brier  roses    ....      67 
Highway     bordered     by     Wier's 

cut-leaf    maple     77 

Hooded  Caen  stone  mantel  with 
rounded  edges  and  slightly 

tapering    189 

Horse    posts    with    roof    shelter 

and    screened   light 244 

House  enlarged,  yet  not  en- 
larged    158 

House    number    inset    in    cement 

walk    311 

Ice    house    vine-screened 71 

Ideal   suite    135 

Infront       and       outfront,       both 

fronts    252 

Ingle    seats     189 

Insect  escape  in  screen 216 

Inset  mats  in  porch  and  bath- 
room   2 

Intarsiatura   trim   324 

Keeping-room    5 

Keyless    and    never    closed    bird 

restaurant     •_ 101 

Key  rack  for  duplicate  keys 238 

Kitchen     enameled     white     with 

white  tiled  floor  and   walls. 

193.  222 
Knocker,  a  knight's  vizor  traced 

with   name    154 

Lantern,      King      Alfred,      seven 

feet    high,    chain-hung 237 

Lock    in   Bastile    style 221 

Log    cabin     221 

Loggia     with     service     door     to 

pantry    218 

Lookout     199 

Lych   gate   with   mottoed   arch..    243 

Mantel  of  weather-beaten  lum- 
ber    222 

Marquise     formed     by     veranda 

overhang     132 

Metal  box  near  kitchen  flue   for 

scrub    cloths    223 

Metal    ceilings    over    plaster    in 

laundry,    kitchen   and    cellar  222 
Metal,       sheets      of,       suspended 

over    furnace     236 

Mezzanine      den      filched       from 

above    an    ingled    alcove....    193 

Minarets 213 

Minstrels'    balcony     179 

Mirror   doors    230 

Mirror   with    muntins 230 

Mirrors  cut  through  baseboards, 
filling  space  between  win- 
dows ..7 230 

Mirrors  for  juggling  with  north 

light    216 

Mirrors,   triplicate    231 

Model    of    new    house    in    wood, 

cement    or   cardboard 328 

Moorish  arched  alcove  full 
width  of  room  from  floor  to 

ceiling    155 

Moorish    arched    fireplace 155 

Morning    room     230 

Mottoes     219,   332 

Newel,    crystal-capped    183 


364 


LATCH  STRINGS 


Newel  to  ceiling,  supporting 
opening  braced  with  gorgon 

heads     183 

Niches    siding    front    door... 161,  238 

Non-freezing  outdoor  sill-cocks  322 
North  room  most  suitable  for 

bird's    eye    maple 228 

Nursery        walls        instructively 

decorated  and  indestructible  228 

Oil    stove    made    hygienic 3,  247 

Ombra     129 

Oriel  windows  on  stairs  and  be. 

tween    rooms     183 

Outdoor    dining    room 277 

Outdoor  dining  room  for  serv- 
ants    11  5 

Outlet    pipe    twice    the    size    of 

inlet 232 

Outshot    7 

Panels  of  Caen  stone  in  bas- 
relief  for  interior  and  ex- 
terior    189 

Patio   218 

Pent  eaves    7 

Pergolad    clothes    yard    239 

Piazza,  rail  broken  by  project- 
ing seats  239 

Picture    gallery     218 

Picture  window  gilt  framed  and 

wire-hung    215 

Pistol    gallery     122 

Pit-set    boiler    (Appendix) 

Plants,    anywhere    78 

Plate    glass    ventilator 215 

Plate    warmer     220 

Platforms  and  veranda  floors  of 

cement   'with   wire   core 214 

Pompeiian    drinking    fountain..  129 

Pool    in    courtyard    as    reflector.  245 

Pool,    swimming     200 

Porch  ceiling,  beamed,  cemented 

and    decorated     240 

Porch    door    side    screened    with 

single   sheet   of  plate   glass.  232 
Projection    of    four    inches    over 

second    story    (Appendix) 

Quarry   tile,   one-half   inch   joint  207 

Rabbets  triple  jointed 311 

Radiators  concealed  311 

Radiators  inset  back  of  stair 

risers  236 

Rail,  silken  hand  183 

Ramp  paved  with  rough  cast 

square  bricks  220 

Ramp  to  belvedere  and  gazebo.  220 
Range,  glass-hooded  to  light  a 

dark  corner  193,  223 

Range  with  ash  chute  to  cellar.  223 
Range  with  thermometer  at- 
tached    223 

Range  with  ventilating  electric 

chimney  fan  223 

Ravine  reached  by  vine-clad 

steps  of  railroad  sleepers..  22 

Recesses  238 

Reflectors  of  ribbed  glass  in 

cellar 225 

Revolver  wall  pocket 226 

Roads  of  turf 213 

Roads,  ungullied  69 

Room  plastered  to  peak 155 

Rooms  for  guests'  attendants..  122 
Rubber  plugs  in  glass  door 

frames  235 

Rustless  iron  work  310 

Safe,    wall    jewel 227 

Safety  valve   on   kitchen   boiler.  223 

Saxon    bower    room 222 


Saxon-thayne  roofed  and  tim- 
bered hall  222 

Scraper,    antique    161 

Scraper    formed    from    iron    gate 

brace     311 

Secret     alcove     and     niches     for 

furniture    229 

Settles   fitted   with   wire   mesh..    239 

Shakes,    Colonial     313 

Shampoo  fixture    231 

Shaving  jog    231 

Shelves,    hanging,    of    enameled 

steel     224 

Shingle  weatherage  of  four  and 

one-half    inches    214 

Shoe    shelf    228 

Shower    jog     322 

Shower,    outside    322 

Shut-offs  for  hot  water  heating  232 
Shut-offs  in  house  plumbing...  232 
Shutter  with  crescent  peep-eye  327 
Sills,  marble,  for  bathroom 

(Appendix) 

Sills,    marble,    for    entrance 161 

Sinks  in  kitchen  and  butler's 
pantry  set  six  inches  higher 

than   usual    223 

Skating  rink  in  garage 245 

Sleeping   porches    228 

Spandreled    arches     329 

Stain,    non-odorous    327 

Stair,   close   string    326 

Stair    curlicue     326 

Stair    hall,    second    story,    domed 

and  doored    132 

Stair  rail  hand  grip 216 

Stair   rail,    three    feet   six   inches   326 

Stair    rods     227 

Stair,    steamer    121 

Stair       window,       sixteen       feet 

square  with  concave  glass..    144 

Stairs   enclosed    2 

Stairs    side-settled     138 

Steps  facing  three  ways.  (Appendix) 

Stone-roofed    outbuildings    314 

Storeroom  vermin  and  tempera- 
ture-proof    224 

Stroll   path    89 

Studio     lighted     by     large     and 

high    north    windows 197 

Sun  bathroom  -with  south  win- 
dows and  skylight 227 

Sun   dial    on    exterior   wall   with 

motto    208 

Telephones  in  each  room. (Appendix) 

Telescopic    house    200 

Terrace     bank     firmly     held     by 

honeysuckle    planting    22 

Toggery   closet    229 

Toilet,    sanitary    angle 231 

Tourelle,    corbeled    213 

Trammels   and   crane    174 

Transoms     (Appendix) 

Trap  door  to  storage  space 
above  veranda  (used  in 
small  house  or  bungalow) . 

Tree    basket    nest 139 

Tree    house     63 

Trunk    lift     155 

Turf    roads     213 

Turf    steps    239 

Turntable  a.nd  pit  in  garaere .  .  245 
Two-level  house  174,  307 


Use    of    angle    irons. 


321 


Vacuum    cleaning    pipes 238 

Veranda    galleried    rooms    sepa- 
rate   from    house    134 

Veranda,   open   railed    273 

Wainscot   without   panels 241 


LATCH  STRINGS 


365 


Wall  niches  in  hall,   stairs,  and 

gala    rooms    238 

Wall    radiators     236 

Wall    treatment,    decorative....    241 

Waterfall,    artificial    245 

Water  pipe  over  range,  to  fill  tea 

kettle    (Appendix) 

Weather  strips,  metal    302 

Weed  killer  for  paths  and  roads     69 
Window    fastenings,    automatic.    216 

Window    screens,    invisible 216 

Window    screens    lowering    into 

house   wall    216 

Windowed   closets    295 

Windows,      box,      upsliding      for 

view  panes    216 

Windows,    clear    or    leaded,    de- 
pending  on   view,    centreing 

a    chimney    110 

Windows,    double,    using    leaded 

light,    hinged    within 216 

Windows,    Georgian    171 


Windows,  high  in  kitchen  when 
latter  overlooks  front  door 
approach  215 

Windows  in  nursery  high  and 

grilled  228 

Windows  in  partition  of  inner 

hall  216 

Windows,  north,  of  leaded  yel- 
low opalescent  glass 216 

Windows  on  dark  stairs  close 

to  ceiling  line  216 

Windows,  overweighted,  re- 
leased by  spring 228 

Windows,    Saxon    squint-eye....    221 

Windows,  side  sliding  under 
attic  eaves  instead  of 
breaking  roof  contours  with 
dormers  129 

Windows  with  up-step  and  side 

settles  for  attic 234 

Workshop  with   forge  and   lathe   225 


Yacht   room 


230 


ARBORETUM  INDEX 


TREES,  SHRUBS  AND  PLANTS 


Acuba  Ash,    var 87 

Fraxinus 

Adam's  Needle   81 

Yucca  filamentosa 
Adder's  Tongue    97 

Ophioglossum   vulgatum 

Agave,  century  plant,  aloe 81 

Ailanthus,   Paradise  tree  or  tree 

of  heaven   88 

Ailanthus  glandulosa 
Alder  leaved  trailing  chestnut..     59 
Alder  nigra    89 

Alnus  glutinosa 
Alder    (cut-leaf)    ....;-. 89 

Alnus    glutinosa    laciniata    im- 

perialis 

Algae,  that  realm  which  gamuts 
from  a  microscopic  plant 
to  700  feet  of  kelp  on  a 

single    stem 99 

Almond,  flowering  102 

Amygdalus 
Althea,  rose  of  Sharon 101 

Hibiscus  syriacus 
Althea,    variegated    87 

Hibiscus  variegata 
Alum   root    97 

Heuchera  americana 
Ampelopsis    veitchii     or     Boston 

ivy    78 

Andromeda   (stagger  bush) 95 

Anemone,  Japanese   96 

Anemone  japonica 

Anemone,  wind  flower 96 

Aquilegia    88 

Aquilegia 

Aralia  spinosa  94 

Arborvitae    77 

Biota    elcgantissima   aurea....     95 

Biota  orientalis   77 

Biota    occidentalis    77 

Arbutus,   trailing    103 

Epigaea  repens 
Arnica 97 

Arnica  mollis 
Arrowhead     100 

Saggitaria 
Arrow-wood     103 

Viburnum  dentatum 
Arrow-wood,  downy-leaved   103 

Viburnum  pubescens 

Arundo  donax  var 87 

Aster,  common  blue  wood 99 

Aster  cordifolius 
Aster,  late  purple 99 

Aster  patens 


Aster,  New  England  99 

Aster  novae-angliae 
Aster,   sky-blue    99 

Aster  azure  us 
Astilbe,  Japanese    88 

Astilbe  japonica 
Azalea    . 87 

Azalea  arborescens 

Azalea  mollis  77,  87,  94 

Baby's  breath  97 

Gypsophila  paniculata 
Bachelor's    button,    corn    flower, 

blue   bottle    96 

Centaur ca  cyanus 
Balm    of    Gilead 97 

Populus  candicans 
Balsam,   wild,   touch-me-not 96 

Impaticns 

Bambusa  metake 87 

Barberry,  Japanese   78,  87 

Bcrberis  japonica 
Basil,  sweet,  or  thyme 97 

Ocimum  basilicum 
Bayberry    97 

Myrica  carolinensis 
Bay   tree    62 

Magnolia  virginiana 
Bearberry    97 

Arctostaphylos 
Beech    85 

Fagus  ferruginea 

Fagus  sylvatica 

Fagus  heterophylla,  fern-leaf 

Fagus  purpurea,  River's 
Beggar    ticks 98 

Bidens  vulgata 
Bell  flower   88 

Campanula 
Bergamot,  wild   97 

Monarda  fistulosa 
Bindweed    99 

Convolvulus  sepium 
Birch    85,  86 

Be  tula  laciniata 

Betula  purpurea 

Betula   lutea    57,  80 

Bitter-sweet    84,  89,  101 

Celastrus  scandcns 
Black  alder  99 

Alnus  vulgaris 
Black-eyed  Susan  96 

Rudbeckia  hirta 
Black  walnut   89 

Juglans  nigra 
Bladder-nut    102 

Staphylia   tripholia 


ARBORETUM  INDEX 


367 


Blazing  star    97 

Liatris  pycnostachya 
Bleeding  heart  97 

Dicentra  spcctabilis 
Bloodroot 97 

Sangitinaria  catiadensis 
Boneset 97 

Eupatorium  perfoliatum 
Boston   ivy 78 

Ampelopsis  veitchii 
Pouncing  bet   96 

Saponaria  officinalis 
Box 81 

Buxus  sempervirens 
Bridal   wreath    97 

Spirea  van  Honttei 
Buckeye   85 

Aesculus  hippocastaintin 
Buckthorn,   sea    101 

Hippophae  rhainnoides 
Bugbane     97 

Cimicifuya 
Bur  reed   100 

Sparganium 
Burdock    98 

Arc  Hum  lap  pa 
Burning  bush  or  spindle  tree....    101 

Euonymons 
Butter-and-eggs  97 

Linaria  vulgaris 
Buttercup    97 

Ranunculus 
Butternut     58 

Juglans  cineria 
Buttonwood,  plane  or  sycamore.     84 

Platanus  occidentalis 
Brake    100 

Pteris  aquilina 

Cactus,   hardy    82 

Opuntia   vulgaris 
Caladium  esculentum    (elephant's 

ear)    79 

Callicarpa    101 

Callicarpa  purpurea 
Calycanthus    (strawberry   shrub)     82 

Calycanthus  floridus 
Canada  thistle  15 

Cirsium  arvcnse 
Cancer  root  or  squaw  root...,.     98 

Epifagus 

Canna   (Indian  shot)    95 

Caraway    97 

Carum   carui 
Carrot,  wild   89 

Daucus 

Catalpa    (Indian  bean)    101 

Catalpa,   umbrella-headed    101 

Catbrier   97 

Smilax 
Catnip   or  catmint 97 

Nepeta  cat  aria 
Cat-tail  flag   97 

Typa  la  ta folia 


Cedar    

Cednis  atlantica  glauca 

Cedrus  deodora    

Century   plant    

Agave  americana 

Cercis    (Judas   tree) 

Chamomile    

Anthemis  tinctoria 
Cherry,  Japanese   

Cerasnus  flora  plena 
Cherry,  wild  black   

Primus  serotina 
Chestnut 

Castanea 
Chickweed   

A! sine   media 
Chinquapin    

Castanea  puinila 
Chokeberry     

Adcnorhachis 

Chrysanthemum     

Cigar  plant    (Mexican) 

Cuphea  platycentra 
Cinquefoil    

Poteniilla  canadcnsis 

Clematis    Jackmanni 

Clematis  paniculata  grandiflora. . 

Clematis,  Virgin's  bower 84, 

Clethra    (white  alder)   or  pepper 
bush    

Clethra  alnifolia 
Cloudberry    

Rubus  chamaenwrus 

Colchicum    

Colic  root  or  star  grass 

Aletris  farinosa 
Colorado  blue   spruce 

Picea  kosteriana 
Coltsfoot     

Tussilago    farfara 
Columbine    

Aquilegia  canadensis 
Colutea 

Colutea  arborescens 
Cone-flower    

Rudbeckia  speciosa 

Conium   (poison  hemlock) 

Copper  plum    

Prunus  'pissardi 
Coreopsis 

Coreopsis  lanceolata 
Corn   flag    

Gladiolus 
Corn  flower   -. 

Centaures  cyanus 

Cornelian  cherry 

Corpse  plant  or  Indian  plant 

Monotropa 

Cosmos    

Cow   lily    

Nymphaea  advena 


102 
100 


368 


ARBORETUM  INDEX 


Cow  parsnip    97 

•    Heracleum  lanatum 

Cowslip    97 

Primula 
Crab  apple    97 

Pyrus  coronaria 
Cress,    scurvy  grass    99 

Barbarea  verna 
Crocus    81 

Iris 
Crowfoot   97 

Ranunculus 
Currant,  black  55 

Ribes  americanum 
Currant,  Indian,  or  coral-berry..     81 

Symphoricarpus  vulgaris 

Currant,  red  Ribes  rubrum 
Currant,  yellow  101 

Ribes  aureum 
Cypress     80,  86,  95,  103 

Taxodium  distichum 

Daffy-down-dilly    96 

Narcissus  pseudo-narcissus 
Dahlia 87 

Dahlia  variabilis 
Daisy 96 

Chrysanthemum 

Daisy,   Hessian  field 96 

Daisy,    Michaelmas    96 

Dandelion    96 

Taraxacum  taraxacum 
Daphne 81 

Daphne  mesereum 
Desmodium    or    tick-trefoil 82 

Desmodium 
Deutzia  101 

Deutzia  crenata  flora  plena 
Devil's  bit  or  blazing  star 97 

Chamaelirium  luteuni 

Dimorphantus  94 

Dock,  radish-leaved  98 

Rumex  crispus 
Dodder 99 

Cuscuta  gronovii 
Dogbane  97 

Apocynum  androsaemifolium 
Dogwood,    alternate-leaved. 84,  97,  99 

Cornus  alternifolia 
Dogwood,  red  osier 84,  97,  99 

Cornus  stolonifera 
Dogwood,  red    77 

Cornus  rubra 
Dogwood,  variegated 87 

Cornus  variegata 
Dragon-root  or  dragon  arum 98 

Arisaema  dracontium 
Duckweed   97 

Lemna  polyrhisa 
Dutchman's  pipe  22 

Aristolochia  sipho 


Echeverias 
Cotyledon 


95 


Edelweiss 95 

Leontopodium  leontopodium 
Eglantine  or  sweet  brier 150 

Rosa  rubiginosa 

Egyptian   grains    -82 

Egyptian  lotus   99 

Elder,  black   57 

Sambucus  canadcnsis 
Elder,  golden  101 

Sambucus  aurea 
Elm,   American    85,  86 

Ulmus  americanus  80 

Elm,  Camperdown   85 

Ulmus  pendula 
Elm,  cork   85 

Ulmus   racemosa 
Empress  tree  77 

Paulozmia  imperialis 
English  walnut,  hardy   59 

Juglans  regia 
Erianthus    ravennae    or    plumed 

grass    87 

Eulalia  gracillima  87 

Eulalia  japonica  zebrina 87 

Euonymous  radicans  var 87 

Euonymous,       strawberry       tree, 

staff  tree   87 

Everlasting   87 

Gnaphalium  decurrens 

Fennel    97 

Foeniculum  vulgarc 
Fern,  maiden-hair    101 

Adiantum  pedatum 
Fern,   sweet    99 

Comptonia  peregrina 
Fever-bush    97 

Lindera   benzoin 
Fi"    common    62 

Ficus    carica 
Filbert    80 

Corylus 
Fir,  Nordmann's   85,  101 

Abies   nordmanniana 
Fire-weed    89 

Epilobium  angustifolium 

Flagroot    97,  99 

Fleur-de-lis    81 

Iris  germanica 
Forget-me-not    88 

My os otis   palustris 
Forsythia 81,  87 

Forsythia  suspensa 

Forsythia  varigata 

Forsythia  virdissima 
Foxglove,  downy  false 88,  92 

Dasystoma  flava 
Fringe    tree,    common 97,  102 

Chionanthus  virginica 

Gentian,    fringed    97 

Gentiana  crineta 
Geranium    248 

Pelargonium 


ARBORETUM  INDEX 


369 


Ginseng    88 

Panax  quinquefolium 
Gladiolus    (iris)    88 

Gladiolus 
Goatsbeard    97 

Aruncus  aruncus 
Golden  elder    101 

Sainbucus  aurea 
Golden   glow    78 

Rudbeckia  laciniata 
Golden  oak  80 

Quercus  aurea 
Golden-rod    102 

Solidago 
Goose  grass   97 

Eleusine 
Grape,  Niagara  55 

Vitis   cordifolia 
Grass,    eulalia    87 

Enlalia  gracillima 
Grass,  plume    87 

Erianthus  ravennae 
Grass,  ribbon  87 

Phalaris  arundiacea  plcta 
Groundsell  bush   101 

Bacharis  halimifolia 
Guelder  rose  or  snowball  tree  81,  101 

Viburnum  opulus 
Gymnocladus    or    Kentucky   cof- 
fee      102 

Gymnocladus 

Harebell  88 

Campanula  rotundifolia 
Hawthorn    102 

Cratacgus 
Hazel,    39,  80 

Corylus 
Hemlock    87 

Tsuga 
Hen   and  chickens 97 

Sempervwum   tectonun 
Hercules'   club    94,  103 

Aralia  spinosa 

Hessian   field  daisy 96 

Hibiscus  cooperii    62 

Hickory    38,  80 

Hicoria 
High  bush  Cranberry 

Viburnum  opulus 
Hobblebush   89 

Viburnum  acerifolium 
Hogweed   97 

Ambrosia  art  emisiae  folia 
Holly,    English    82 

Ilex  aquifolium 
Hollyhock   88 

Althea  rosea 
Honeysuckle,  bush   82 

Diervilla  dier villa 
Hop  tree,  golden   101 

Ptelea  aurea 
Horsechestnut    85 

Aesculus  hippocastanum 


Horse-mint 97 

Mentha  longifolia 
Horse-radish   97,  99 

Nasturtium  armoracea 
Horse-tail    97 

Equisetum 
Hydrangea    , 78,  87,  94 

Hydrangea  arborescens 

Hydrangea  hortensis 

Hydrangea  paniculata 

Iceland  moss   95 

Certaria  islandica 
Ice  plant   89 

Mesembryanthemum  crystallium 
Indian   currant    81 

Symphoricarpus  vulgaris 
Indian  pipe  or  corpse  plant 98 

Monotropa  uniflora 

Indigo   shrub    102 

Iris    99 

Iris,   German    81 

Iris  germanica 
Iris,    Japanese    81,  88 

Iris  kempferi 
Iris,    Siberian    81 

Iris  sibirica 
Iris,   Spanish    81 

Iris  ibirica 
Ivy,    English    62 

Hedera  helix 
Ivy,  poison  98 

Toxicodendron 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit,  Indian  turnip 

or  preacher 98 

Arisaema  triphyllum 
Jacob's  ladder 88 

Polemonium  ceruleum 
Japan  juniper   (japonica) 95 

Juniperus  aurea    95 

Juniperus  hibernica   95 

Juniperus  sabina    102 

Japan  kerria ..„ 101 

Kerria  japonica 
Japan  quince    82 

Cydonia  japonica 
Japanese  umbrella  pine    101 

Sciadopitys  verticillata 
Jasmine   or  jessamine 88,  101 

Jasminum  officinale 
Jewel   weed    98 

Impatiens  bi flora 
Jimson  weed  or  Jamestown  weed    97 

Datura  stramonium 
Joe-pye-weed,     or    purple    thor- 

oughwort     99 

Eupatorium  purpureum 
Jonquil   88 

Narcissus  jonquil  la 
Judas   tree    87 

Cercis 

Cercis  japoncia 


370 


ARBORETUM  INDEX 


.95,  102 


Juniper    

Juniper  us  communis 
Juniper us  deprcssa 


Kalmia 84 

Kalmia  latifolia 
Katsura    85 

Cercidiphyllum 
Kentucky  coffee    102 

Gymnocladus 

Kerria  japonica    77,  101 

Kerria  variegata  87 

Kilmarnock  willow    85 

Caprea  pendula 
Knotweed    88 

Polygonum  sieboldi 
Koelreuteria  or  varnish  tree....   102 

Keulreuteria  paniculata 
Koster's  Colorado  blue  spruce.  ..     85 

Picea  kosteriana 
Kudsu   vine    62 

Dolichos  japonica 

Kerria,    (cochorus)    101 

Laburnum   or  golden   chain 101 

Laburnum    vulgare 
Laburnum,  Scotch   101 

Laburnum   alpinum 
Ladies'    slipper,    pink 98 

Cypripedium  spectabile 
Ladies'  slipoer,  yellow 98 

Cypripedium  pubesccus 
Ladies'  thumb   98 

Polygonum   persicaria 
Larch    102 

Larix 
Larkspur    88 

Delphinnm 
Laurel,    American    84 

Kalmia  latifolia 

Laurel  (lamb-kill )    84 

Leek,   wild    88 

Allium  tricoccum 
Leopard's  bane    97 

Doronicum  plantaceneum  var. 
Lichens,  those  plant  exponents  of 
two  in  one,  algae,  a  chlor- 
ophyll joined   with   a   fun- 
gus   non-chlorophyll 98 

Lilac,    common    78,  80,  101 

Syringa  vulgaris 
Lilac,   Persian    82 

Syringa  per  sic  a 
Lily,   blackberry    88 

Belam   canda 
Lilv,    day 88 

Hemerocallis 
Lily.   Japanese  gold-banded 88 

Lilium  auratum 
Lily  of   the   valley 88,97 

Convallaria  majalis 
Lilv.  tiger  88 

Lilium    tigrinum 


Lily,   toad    88 

Tricytis  hirta 

Lily,  yellow  day   99 

Liverwort    88 

Hepatica  triloba 
Locust    57 

Robinia 
Locust,  honey    94 

Glcditsia 
Loosestrife,    spiked    88 

Lysimachia    terrestris    100 

Lotus,   Egyptian    99 

Lungwort    88 

Mertensia 
Lupine    88 

Lupin  us 

Magnolia    101 

Magnolia  acuminata 

Magnolia  stellata   77 

Mahonia    88 

Berberis  aquifolium 
Maiden-hair  tree  or  gingko 101 

Salisburia   adiantifolia 
Mallow  99 

Malva  sylvestris 
Mandrake,    wild    88 

Podophyllum   peltatum 
Man-of-the-earth    98 

Ipomea  pandurata 
Maple   79 

Acer 
Maole,  purple 79 

Platanoides  sclnuedleri 
Maple  sugar,  rock  or  hard 84 

Acer  sacharum 

Maple,   tri-color  bark    84 

Maple,    Wier's    cut-leaf 77 

IVierii  laciniatum 

Marjoram    97 

Origanum   marjoram 
Marshmallow   99 

Alt/ica  officinalis 
Matrimony  vine    97 

Lycium  vulgare 
Meadow   rue    96 

Thalictruin 

Michaelmas  daisy  96 

Milkweed     and     butterfly     weed 

89,  97,  99 

Asclebias 
Mint    99 

Mentha 

Meat  eating  plants    99 

Mock  orange   102 

Philadelphia  coronarius 
Moneywort   89 

Lysimachia  purpurea 
Monkshood     88 

Aeonitum 
Moonflower    22 

Ipomea  maxima 


ARBORETUM  INDEX 


371 


Morning  glory,  wild  99 

Ipomea 

Mosses     98 

Mosses,  asexual    21 

Moss  pink  88 

Phlox  subulata 
Mountain   ash    80 

Sorbus 
Mulberry    80,  101 

Morus 
Mulberry,  weeping  86 

Merits  pendula 
Mullein    ". 98 

Verbascum 
Mushroom,    field    98 

Agaricus  campestris 

Xannyberry     97 

Viburnum  lentago 
Narcissus,   poet's    82,  88 

Narcissus  Poeticus 
Nettle     98 

Lamium 
Nettle    tree     102 

Celtis  occidentalis 
New  Jersey  tea  or  red  root 102 

Ceanothus  americana 

Nicotinna  or  tobacco 88 

Nordmann's   fir    85,  101 

Abies  nordmanniana 

Oak,   golden    80,  101 

Quercus  aurea 

Oak  of  Mamre  82 

Oak,  scarlet   79 

Quercus  coccinea 
Oak,  white   85 

Quercus  alba 
Oleander    62 

Nerium 

Oogamous  plants    99 

Orange  101 

Citrus 
Orange,  osage    67 

Madura 
Ox-eye  daisy 96 

Chrysanthemum    leucanthemum 

Pampas  grass    87 

Gvnerium   argentenum 
Pansy     88 

Viola  tricolor 
Partridge    berry    22 

Mitchella  repens 

Paulownia    imperialis    77,94 

Pea,  perennial   ^ . .     88 

Lathyrus  latifolius 
Peach    53 

Persica 
Pearl  bush    101 

Exochorda  grandiflora 
Pennyroyal,   American    97 

Hedeoma  pulegioides 
Peony,  tree  94 

Paeonia  moutan    .  87 


Pepper  bush,  sweet   ............     82 

Clethra 
Peppermint   ....................     97 

Mentha  piperita 
Phlox,  garden   .......  ,.  .........     88 

Phlox  decussata  or  paniculata 

Phlox  subulata   ..............     88 

Pine,   Austrian    ................   103 

Pinus  austriaca 
Pine,    red    .  ....................     84 

Pinus  resin  osa 
Pine  Weymouth    ...............     85 

Pineapple   ......................     81 

Pink    ..........................     88 

Piant  hus 
Pitcher  plant,  side  saddle  flower, 

huntsman's  cup   ..........     99 

Sarracenia 
Plantain     ......................     97 

Plantago 
Plum,  copper  ...................   101 

Priinns  pissardi 
Poison    hemlock  ................     88 

Co  ilium 
Poison   ivy    ....................     98 

Rhus  toxicodendron 
Pokeweed    ..............  .......     98 

Phytolacca 
Polygonum  sachaliense  .........   100 

Poplar,  gold  ........  ...........     85 

Populus  van  geertii 
Poplar,  lombardy  .............  81,  86 

Populus  dilatata 
Poolar.    silver    .................     80 

Populus  alba 
Poplar     monilifera      or     cotton- 

wood,    aspen    ............     86 

Poppy,    Oriental^   ........  .  .....     88 

Papaver  somniferum  Opium 
Prickly  pear,  common    .........     82 

Opuntia   vulgaris 
Primrose,   evening    .............     88 

Oenothcra  biennis 
Prince's   feather    ...............     98 

Amarantus  cordaius 
Privet.    California    .............     78 

Ligustrum  ovalifolium 
Privet  varigata   ................     87 

Prunus   Pissardi    (copper  plum)   101 
Pyrethrum     ....................     88 

Pyrcthrum 


Quince,    Japanese 
Cydonia  japonica 


101 


Ragged    robin    .................     97 

Lychnis  flos-cuculi 
Ragweed    ......................     98 

Ambrosia 
Ranunculus    ....................     95 

Raspberry,  purple  flowering   ----     14 

Rubus  odoratus 
Rattlesnake    root    ..............     97 

Nabalus 


372 


ARBORETUM  INDEX 


Red-hot  poker  plant,  torch  lily..     82 

Tritoma 
Reed,  plumed  ravenna 87 

Erianthus  ravennae 
Retinospera  or  Japan  cedar  . .  77,  95 
Rheumatism  root   97 

Jeffersonia  diphylla 
Rhododendron   87 

Rhododendron 
Rhubarb    97,  99 

Rheum 
Ribbon  grass    87 

Phalaris  picta 
Ricinus,  palma  christi,  castor  oil 

bean    95 

Rock    cress    88 

Arabis 
Rose    78,  94 

Rosa 

Rosa  rugosa  87 

Rose   tree 94 

Rosemary  willow   85 

Rosmarinifolia 
Rosin-weed,  compass  plant 98 

Silphium  terebinthinaceum 
Rue   96 

Ruta 

Sage... 97 

Salz'ia 
St.   Bruno's   lily    88 

Anthericum 
St.  John's  wort  98 

Hypericum 
St.  Peter's  wort   98 

Ascyrum 
Sarsaparilla,  wild   97 

Aralia  nudicantis 
Sassafras    84,  97 

Sassafras  officinale 
Saxifrage    95 

Saxifraga 
Scarlet  lightning 97 

Lychnis  calcedonica 
Scilla    88 

S  cilia 
Scotch   broom    89 

Cytisus  scoparius 
Self-heal 97 

Prunella  vulgaris 
Senna,  wild    97 

Cassia  marylandica 
Sensitive   plant    89 

Mimosa  pudica 
Shad  bush    97 

Amelanchier  canadensis 
Sheepberry    97 

Viburnum  lentago 
Silk  tree 102 

Albiszia  julibrissin 
Silver  fir,  Eraser's   95 

Abies  fraseri 
Silver  poplar    80 

Populus  alba 


Silver    thorns    102 

Elaeagnus  longipes 
Sitfast    98 

Ranunculus  repcns 
Skull  cap  or  mad  dog  skull  cap    98 

Scutellaria 
Skunk    cabbage    81,  97 

Symplocarpus 
Smartweed    97 

Polygonum  pennsylvanicum 

Smocks    and    tresses 98 

Snakeroot,   white    97 

Eupatorium  ageratoides 
Sneezeweed     88 

Helenium 
Sneezewort,   pearl    88 

Ac  hill ea  p  tar  mica 
Snowball,   Japanese    87,  103 

Viburnum  plicatum 
Snowberry     81 

Symphoricarpus    racemosus 
Snowdrop    81 

Galanthus 
Snow-in-Summer    88 

Cerastium  tomentosum 

Sophora  japonica   85 

Sorrel,  sheep,  plant  of  the  cen- 
turies, autumn  color  in 
summer  97 

Rumex  acetosella 
Spanish    bayonet    81 

Yucca 
Spearmint    97 

Mentha  spicata 
Spice  bush    97 

Lindera 
Spiderwort,  blue  97 

Tradescan tia  virginiana 
Spikenard    97 

Aralia  racemosa 
Spindle  tree,  wide-stemmed 101 

Euonymous  alatus 
Spirea   (meadow  sweet)    Quaker 

lady    57,  78 

Spirea 

Spirea,  blue 88 

Spring    beauty    96 

Claytonia 
Spruce,  Colorado  blue 95 

Picea   kosteriana 
Spruce,    Norway    86 

Picea  excelsa 
Spruce,   white   or  cat 95 

Picea   alba 
Spurge     88 

Euphorbia 
Squaw-root 98 

Canopholis   americana 
Squirrel    corn    97 

Dicentra  canadensis 
Star   grass    97 

Hypoxia 


ARBORETUM  INDEX 


373 


Star  of   Bethlehem    97 

Ornithogalum 
Stramonium   or  Jimson   weed...     97 

Datura 
Strawberry   bush    82 

Euonymous  americanus 
Stuartia   or   American    cammelia  102 

Stewartia 

Styrax  japonica 82 

Sumach    80 

Rhus  glabra 
Sumach,    staghorn    65 

Rhus  tyf>hina 
Sun-dew,  meat  eater  99 

Drosera 
Sunflower     33 

Helianthus 
Sweetbrier     150 

Rosa  rubiginosa 
Sycamore  or  buttonwood 84 

Platanus  occidentalis 
Syringa    101 

Philadelphus  coronarius 

Tamarisk,  India  and  Africa 10 

Tamaris,  French    10,  101 

Tamarix  gallica 

Tansy    9/ 

Tanacetum 

Tarragon    88 

Artimisia  dracunculoides 
Taxodium    distichum   or   decidu- 
ous Southern  cypress 

80,  86,  103 

Thallophytic  plants   99 

Thorn    apple    tree,    common,    or 

Jamestown   weed    102 

Datura  stramonium 

Thoroughwort   97 

Eupatorium 

Thunbergii   berberis    78,   8/ 

Thyme    97 

Thyrnus 

Tigridia    88 

Toad    lily    88 

Tricyrtus  hirta  nigra 

Toadstool    97 

Toothache  tree    97 

Zanthoxylum  americanum 

Torch  lily   82 

Tritoma 

Trailing  arbutus   103 

Epigea  re  pens 
Tree     of     Heaven     or     Chinese 

sumach    88 

Ailanthus 

Trumpet   creeper    102 

Tecomia  radicans 

Tuberose    88 

Polianthes 

Tulip 22 

Tulip  tree  or  whitewood 84 

Liriodendron   tulip ef era 


98 
88 


101 


Tumbleweed 

Amaranthus  graecizans 
Turtle-head 

Chelone  glabra 

Umbrella  pine,  Japanese 
Sciadopitys  verticillata 

Valerian,   garden    ..............     97 

Valeriana  officinalis 
Varnish  tree  ...................    102 

Koelreuteria 

Veronica,  iron  plant,   speedwell.     88 
Vetch    .........................     88, 

Vicia 
Viburnum  or  snowball  ..........     81 

Viburnum    alnifolium     (Hobble- 

bush  moosewood 
Viburnum     lantana      (wayfaring 

tree) 
Viburnum    tomentosum  plicatum 

or  Japan   snowball  .....  87,  105 

Victoria  regia  or  Amazon  water 

lily     .....................     99 

Vinca,   periwinkle   or   myrtle....     23 

Violet,    meadow    ...............     96 

Viola  obliqua 
Virginia    creeper    ..............     98 

Ampelopsis 
Virgin's    bower    ..............  84,  89 

Clematis 

Wake   robin,   great   flowered....     97 

Trillium   grandiflorum 
Walking    ferns    ................    100 

Walnut,  black    .................     58 

Juglans  nigra 
Wayfaring   tree    ...............     89 

Viburnum  lantana 
Weigela    .....................  78,  86 

Dienrilla 
WTeigela,  var  ...................     87 

Weymouth   pine    ...............     85 

Willow,    pussy    .......  26,  77,  78,  81 

Salix  discolor 
Willow  of  Saint  Helena  ........     88 

Willow,  rosemary  ..............     85 

Willow,  weeping  ...............     81 

Salix  Babylonica 
Winterberry,   Virginia    .........     89 

Ilex  verticillata 
Wistaria,   American    .........  78,  102 

W  is  ta  ria  m  agnifica 
Wistaria,    Chinese    ..........  78,  102 

Wistaria  sinensis 
W'ltch    grass    ..................     87 

Panicum  capillare 
Witch  hazel  ..........  ..........  81,  97 

Hamamelis  virginiana 
Witch     hazel,     Chinese,     winter 

flowering  ..................     81 

Withe-rod    .....................     89 

Viburnum  cassinoides 
\Voodbine    .....................     98 

Psedera  quinquefolia 


374  ARBORETUM  INDEX 

Wood  sorrel,  yellow 88      Yew    95,102 

Oxalis  stricta                                                Taxus 
Wormwood    88,  97       Taxus  aurea 95,  101 

*******  Yucca   81 

Xanthoceras    sorbifolia    85  Yucca  filamentosa 


INDEX 


Aberdeen-Angus    polled    cattle..      17 

Abney    Park     82 

Abraham's  burial   83 

Abraham's    oaks     82 

Abraham  Lincoln    339 

Absent   pennant    245 

Accentuate  door,  window,  wain- 
scoting   and     mantel,    avoid 

the    over    313 

Aches  of  old  age,   easing  the...      97 

Acid   flesh   protection 92 

Accurate    plans     289 

Acme    of    living 301 

Acoustics     218 

Acquaintance  and   effort 341 

Acreage    1 

Adams,    Samuel     217 

Addenda  which  assert 304 

Additions   to   cover   money   risks  297 

Ad    inflnitum    world 193 

Adirondack    pine    forest 152 

Adirondacks    at    city's    threshold   142 

Adobe   dwelling    302 

Advantages   of  new   worries....      96 
Advantages   that   increase   value 

of  a   country   home 338 

Afterthought     doors     and     win- 
dows   expensive    311 

Agglomeration         of         building 

ideas    300 

Aggressive    excrescences     

"Agin   natur"   novelties 78 

Agronomical    efforts    15 

Ailanthus,    odorous   root   spread- 
ing           88 

Air   and    sunshine    tax 215 

Air   castle,   Alpine 234 

Air  castles  woven  into  reality..    160 
Air-chamber  cushions  the  back- 
kick      of      quickly      shut-off 

water    323 

Air  check  valve    235 

Air,     confined,     makes     a     warm 

blanket     308 

Air,   deoxidized    223 

Air  duct   to   cellar  radiators....    236 

Air  lanes   of  migration 47 

Air-lifting   brick   chamber    223 

Air,    nicotine-laden    234 

Air-spaced    plastering    214 

Air     spaces     carry     sound,     but 

can   be   curbed   with   baffles.    308 

Air   spacing    257 

Air,  the  great  wood  preservative   326 

Alarm   gong  under  eaves 226 

Alcohol     banished     when     ever- 
green  roof-tree   is  nailed   to 

the    ridge    317 

Alcove,    bed    227 

Alcove  in  breakfast  bay 220 

Alcove,    Moorish    arched 55 

Alcove,    oriel    windowed 183 

Alcove,   windowed    138 

Alden,   John    

Alder   leaf   case   bearer 92 

Alembic    of    ideal    housing 304 

Alfalfa    or   lucerne    growing....      73 

Algae  from  brook 193 

Algae  that   scummed   the   pool..      99 

Alleys    of   box 243 

All    the   world    copyists 3 

All-the-year   house    281 

Alphabetical  names  of  cows 61 


Alta    Crest   a    human    pyre 331 

Altering   the    farm    house 2 

Aluminum    cooking    utensils....    222 
Amateurs  "stomp"  where  angels 

fear  to  tread    309 

Ambition,    misguided    287 

Ambry    at    either    end 329 

Ambry   made   by   building   house 

wall   inward  a  foot  or  more  311 

Ambush    bug    91 

Amy   of  the   Brighton   road 26 

Amenable   to   reason 293 

American   Indian    room    228 

America's  only  Giant's  Causeway  153 

Amphitheatre     71 

Anaemic  architecture   301 

Anchor  chain,   iron,   for   electro- 
lier         281 

Ancestral  hall    218 

"And  now   his   nose   is   thin"....      83 
"And  the  jessamine  fair  and  the 

sweet   tuberose"    88 

Andalusians,    blue-blooded    blue     31 

Andirons,    brass 233 

Andirons    crowned    with    cannon 

balls    179 

Andirons,   Great  Dane    173 

Angora    Aurea     3,  27,   39 

Angora  goats    31,  58 

Animal   death   hour 35 

Animal    kingdom    in   fields 97 

Animal    lawn    mowers 242 

Animal    life,   minute 193 

Animal  photographs    17 

Animal  ploughshare    31 

Animal  qualities   41 

Animal  romances    25 

Annuals    77 

Ant    94 

Ant  foster-mother          92 

Ant    lion    91 

Ant   slaves    92 

Anti-damp    water-proof    paint.  .    214 
Ants  and  beetles,  freebooting.  . .      84 

Anywhere   plants    78 

Aphides,    milch    cow    93 

Aphidivorous    gourmands    93 

Apiarist 34 

Apogamy  of  plant  life 99 

Apotheosis    in    American    archi- 
tecture        300 

Apple     blight     74 

Apple  blossom  dream 120 

Apple  blossoms,  unrivaled 87 

Apple   borer    57 

Apple   growing    

Apple  maggot    

Apple   of  the   future 51 

Apple   orchard,   scrawny    118 

Apple,   pound    seedling    37,   51 

Apple   tree   scraping 49 

Apple  tree  scrubbing 49 

Apple   tree  spacing 49 

Apple  tree  vs.  woodpecker 

Apple  trees  used  as  foil 118 

Apples,    sweet    49 

Appreciative  customer 3 

Arabella     61 

Arabesque    design    169 

Arable   land    140 

Arbor    seat    and    weeping    mul- 
berry           86 


376 


INDEX 


Arboreal  pearl  oyster 45 

Arbored  summer  house 314 

Arboretum     73 

Arboretum   planting  scheme  and 

record     77 

Arboretum  record  book    96 

Arboretum,  scope  of    86 

Arbors    217 

Arbors,   arched    55 

Arbre-arched    foot    gates 218 

Arbutus    from    Mt.    Mansfield...    103 
Arbutus,    the    standard    of    fra- 
grance         103 

Arcadian    living    69 

Arch    beneath    stair 189 

Arch,   first   known 226 

Arch,    iron    172 

Arch,   Moorish,    15    feet   wide....    155 

Arch    of    uniform    spring 189 

Arch,    round-headed    Roman.  ...    226 

Arch,   single  and  double 226 

Arch    substitute   of  the   Incas...    226 
Arched    gate    to   clothes   yard...    239 

Arched    under    house 307 

Arches,  framing  for 293 

Arches      of      wood,      except      as 

decorative,  are  impracticable   310 
Archetype   of   the    new   house   in 

plaster,    wood,    or   cardboard   328 
Architect     and     builder     experi- 
mentally inclined    330 

Architect  and  builder  often  non- 
plussed over  the  outcome  of 

the     new     house 328 

Architect,    lapses    of. 240 

Architect,    makeshift    289 

Architect,   mood    of 251 

Architect's  advice  and  guid- 
ance    304 

Architect's     bias     for     unbroken 

roof    contours    330 

Architect's    cash    certificates....    289 
Architect's       conception       tying 
hall,     door,     window,     stair, 

fireplace     326 

Architect's     dilemma     302 

Architect's    fee    292 

Architectural  feast    214 

Architecture,    aggressive     152 

Architecture,    country     152 

Architecture,  new  American....    213 
Architecture,   semi-Oriental    ....    157 

Architecture  still  sisterless 302 

Architecture  transformed    78 

Architrave,        entablature        and 

column    303 

Archway    213,   214 

Area  brick  drained 144 

Areas,    self-draining   blind   ditch   221 

Arid  summers    245 

Arm      of      Sound     dammed     and 

water-gated    273 

Armoire    221 

Armor,   ancient    173 

Armored    knight    stair    guard...    173 

Armored    knights     242 

Arrow,    copper     241 

Arrow    sawed    from    brass    plate  274 

Art,   the   most   valuable    339 

Artificial    pool    245 

Artificial    rapids    and    waterfall.    245 
Artificial      reinforced      stone     in 

quoin,    sill,    and    lintel 302 

Artistic    solecism    243 

Asbestos     236 

Asbestos  and  cement   shingles..    214 

Asbolt     218 

Ash    flue     233 

Ash  flue  outlets  must  be 
guarded;  our  worst  fire 
from  an  unguarded  ash  flue.  319 

Ash  pit 233 

Ashing  for  yellows 55 


Asparagus      243 

Asparagus  beetle    57 

Asparagus    growing    340 

Asparagus,       trade       marks       of 

freshness    340 

Asphalt   expansion   joints 310 

Assassin   caught  red-handed....    100 

Asteria,  yellow    94 

Astronomical  chart,   key   to 228 

Attic    lift     155 

Attic   rooms    234 

Attic  stair,  unrailed    2 

Attic  stair  window    270 

Attic    stairway    closed 2 

Attic-stored    heirlooms     62 

Attic   studio    237 

Attic      windows,      north,      south, 

east    and    west    274 

Aurelian  calls    90 

Ausable  Chasm,  Jr 133 

Autographs     7 

Automobile      necessary      to      the 

farmer     339 

Autopsy    by    veterinary '..      23 

Autumn-leaved   varnish   tree....    102 

Avarium     90 

Avian    tribe    47 

Aviary     295 

Aviary,   unbarred    243 

Avoid  buiding  too  close  to  road- 
way        330 

Avoid   shutting   off   future    road- 
ways and  views 339 

Awkward       halls       changed       to 
bayed    and    settled     window 

nooks     326 

Awninged    platform     239 

Awnings    234,  *240 

Axe  a  staunch  friend 120 

Axis      and      motif     essential      in 

house    building    305 

Ba,ck-aired  piping  323 

Back  hall  well  hole 232 

Back  lane  63 

Back  log  for  a  mill 296 

Back  plastering  281 

Back  stairs,  a  full  flight  in  a 

good  house  326 

Bacteria  septic  tanks  13 

Baffle  boards  277 

Bag-worm  53 

Balanced  lift  194 

Balanced  plant  growth 94 

Balanced  world  193 

Balancing  lights  and  shadows  in 

a  room  325 

Balconies  226 

Balconies  against  chimney 281 

Balconies,  canvas  covered ..  115,  146 

Balconies  carelessly  constructed  330 

Balconies,  leaking  115 

Balconies  with  steep  pitch  to 

door  sill  315 

Balcony,  hanging  146 

Balcony,  musicians'  135 

Balcony,  overhanging  183 

Balcony,  projecting  146 

Balcony  rooms  254 

Balcony,  screened  minstrels'....  152 

Balcony  sills  sloped 115 

Baldwins  49 

Ball  bearing  casters 2 

Balloon  construction  with  ledger 

board    supports    notched    in 

studding 316 

Baltimore  heater  3 

Baltimore  oriole  39 

Baluster,  carved  Jacobean 326 

Baluster,  Colonial  326 

Balusters  183 

Balustrade  for  coolness 320 


INDEX 


377 


Balustrade,  hand  carved 181 

Balustrade   of  metal 326 

Banishing-   the   funnel   stairway.  171 

Bank    loans    340 

Banner    shrub    81 

Banquet   halls   for  bees 100 

Bantams     31 

Barbaric    architecture    302 

Barbarity  of  wire  barb 69 

Barberries    55 

Bark  abrasion,   prevention  of.  .  .  96 

Bark    colored    insects 93 

Bark-hidden   lairs    57 

Bark   slabs    257 

Barn,   cattle    15 

Barn  cupola    33 

Barn,   hay    15 

Barn    owl     45 

Barnum,  P.  T 17 

Barnyard    refuse    9 

Baroness    Burdett-Coutts    29 

Baronial   house    142 

Barrel   a   long    hall   ceiling.  .322,  329 

Barreled   ceiling    189 

Barrier    wall     203 

Barriers  head  high,  shutting  off 

views  of  the  country 335 

Barriers    must    harmonize    with 

the   new    house 334 

Barriers   of   famous   architects..  335 

Barrier    riven    criss-cross    rail..  335 

Barriers   worth   best   thought...  335 

Bartlett  pears    47 

Bas-relief,    copper    169 

Bas-relief,    stone    189 

Bas-reliefs,  terra  cotta    153 

Base,    corbeled     213 

Base   plugs    237 

Base,    sanitary    229,  282 

Base  trim  high  to  cover  plugs..  237 

Baseboard   set  on  under  floor...  235 

Basement  above   ground 194 

Basement   bee-hive    225 

Basement    calcimined    and    deco- 
rated      197 

Basement     enameled     and     spar 

varnished     

Basement  ground  air-proof 155 

Basement  lavatory  with  shower  331 

Basement    rooms    224 

Basement,    unhealthy    224 

Basement,    wooden   floored 224 

Basins,   set    281 

Bastile    lock     221 

Bath    cabinet,    electric 231 

Bath    closet     230 

Bath,    comfy    of 230 

Bath  houses    281 

Bath,    Pompeiian    199 

Bath     tub,     enameled     steel     vs. 

solid    porcelain    230 

Bath   tub   for   children 231 

Bath    tub    railed    in 230 

Bath  tub   set   in  floor 230 

Bath   tub   six  feet  long 230 

Bath   tubs    199 

Bathing    beach,    steps    to    serv- 
ants'      281 

Bathing    houses    203 

Bathing  in  Sound  at  midnight..  203 

Bathing  pool    160 

Bathroom,   barreled   ceiling 231 

Bathroom    fixtures,    gold-plated.  231 

Bathroom  fixtures,  nickel  plated  282 
Bathroom     floored     and     walled 

with    glass    155 

Bathroom        hardware,        nickel 

plated    282 

Bathroom     hardware     to     match 

plumbing      231 

Bathroom,   salt  water 194,  282 

Bathroom,    sun    227 

Bathroom   tiled   to  ceiling.  .  .122,  316 


Bathroom    water    heater 223 

Bathroom  with  canopy  of  elec- 
tric lights  231 

Bathroom  with  fireplace  ven- 
tilation    231 

Bathroom     with     low     porcelain 

flush    tank    236 

Bathroom  with  white  glass  sides  231 

Bathrooms     3,   200,  230 

Bathrooms,  furred  down    316 

Batrachians    100 

Bats     '. '  '      45 

Batten   board   the   site 327 

Battens  with  one  side  nailing..    142 

Batteries,   chemical    257 

Battle  for  independence,  selec- 
tion important  matter  340 

Battle  royal    74 

Bayberries     ....'.      57 

Bay    trees    '  '      62 

Bay    window    addition '.'.'.    153 

Bay  window   eighteen   feet   wide   189 

Bays    and    projections 227 

Bays  at  time  of  building  are 
inexpensive  and  often  a 
fifty  per  cent,  improvement  327 

Beacons   and   reef-buoys 281 

Beams     at     side     walls     omitted 

for    a    cove 325 

Beams,  cambered    281 

Beams,    ebonized     184 

Beams,    hewn     221 

Beams,       large,        give       sturdy 
strength    unknown   in   a   cut 
up,  costly,   paneled  ceiling..    325 
Beams,  plaster  ribbed  and  deco- 
rated        325 

Beams    reinforced    by   cement...    219 

Beams,   roof   framing 219 

Beams     set     to     leave     a     larger 

centre      325 

Beams    spaced    to    leave    ceiling 

in    shape    for   decoration....    325 
Beams,    veranda  ceiling,    9-inch.    281 

Bean   galls    93 

Beaver  board  with  its  limita- 
tions useful  in  the  bunga- 
low realm  321 

Bed    draperies    197 

Bed    linen    97 

Bed   steps    5 

Bedding,    air-bathed    7 

Bedding  plants    248 

Bedroom,   outdoor   balcony 270 

Bedrooms    197,   105 

Bedrooms,  bunked    251 

Bedrooms,  masters'    227 

Bedrooms,   outdoor    7,   228 

Bedrooms,    south    and    west 227 

Beds  not  to  face  a  window 311 

Beds    set   north   and   south 311 

Bee-hive    in   attic    window 34 

Bee  life    84 

Beef  and  dairy  types 17 

Bees     34 

Bees,   particular    91 

Beetle    hunting    93 

Beetle,    long   horned 93 

Beetle,    water    93 

Beetle,   whirligig    93 

Before    the    cellar    is    dug    know 

your    house     328 

Beggar   ticks    98 

Bellerica    157 

Belvedere     133,   208,   214 

Belvedere  adds  more  than  cost  312 
Belvedere  overlooking  maze....  244 
Berkshire  contribution  to  house  154 

Berkshires     244 

Berries    35 

Berry-bearing  plants    101 

Bess     26 


378 


INDEX 


Best  bibs  and  tuckers 97 

"Bestest  kites,  sleds  and  ponies"   284 

Best  semi-bungalow    270 

Bethlehem   of  Judea 82 

"Bethumped    with    ideas" 301 

"Better   fifty   years   of   Europe".      75 
"Better    late    than    never"    good 

building   ethics    296 

Beverly  beans    221 

Bibliophile     219 

Bidet     231 

Bidders,   responsible    292 

Biennials      77 

Billiard    hall    133 

Billiard     room 122,   234,   247 

Billiard    room    changed    into    an 

assassin    331 

Billiard  room  mantel 233 

Billiard       room       plastered       to 

tower    peak    155 

Billiard   table  on  first  floor 234 

Billiard    table    with    immovable 

cement    foundation    331 

Bills,  labor    288 

Bins    next    to    boiler 224 

Birch    floors,    red 234 

Birch,   silver-sheened    80 

Birches,    silver   white 77 

Birches    vs.    evergreens 217 

Bird    and    squirrel    rendezvous..    243 
Bird    annihilation    spells    famine     35 

Bird    appetites     35 

Bird,   blue    39 

Bird    booby     45 

Bird     bungalow     37 

Bird  callers    43 

Bird  Captains    of    Industry    ....      45 

Bird    colony,    home 101 

Bird   death  chamber 35 

Bird   flocks    47 

Bird    fonts    55 

Bird    growth    35 

Bird    homes    39 

Bird   life   unfettered 243 

Bird  lore    35 

Bird   melodies    102 

Bird   menu    35 

Bird   nursery    39 

Bird    paradise    101 

Bird-proof    tents    91 

Bird    rendezvous     55 

Bird      restaurant,      keyless      and 

never    closed    102 

Bird    songs   of   freedom 243 

Bird   species,   nine    hundred 35 

Bird  temperaments 41 

Bird    thievery    39 

Bird    trolley     39 

Bird  vs.   infant  development....      35 

Birddom's  varied  qualities 41 

Bird's-eye   maple    45 

Bird's-eye   maple    room    228 

Birds     243 

Birds,    obliteration    of 35 

Birds    of   the   Orient 243 

Birds,    perpetual    motion 37 

Birds,   singing    227 

Birds   suet   lunch   counter 43 

Birthright    sold    for    pottage    of 

the    fields     58 

Bizarre,   incomplete   and   uncom- 
fortable house  building  field   300 

Black    birch,   aromatic 57 

Black   caps    57 

Black    eagles    55 

Black  knot    74 

Black    monarch     94 

Black    rot    55 

Black     streak     of    roadway    im- 
prisoned between  high  walls   335 

Black  Tartarians    ">" 

Black   walnuts    57,  58 

Blackberries,    running    55 


Blackberry     patch,     six-acre....      57 
BlacKDerry,    semi-thornless    ....      55 

Blackberry  vines    63 

Blackbird,  red-winged    by 

Blankets    saturated    with    water 

for    fire    protection 331 

Blazing    for    cutting 84 

Blind  drain 113 

Blind,    Venetian,    the    mainstay, 

but    given    to    wind-swaying  327 

Blind    wells    . 305 

Blinds  clash  with  oriel  case- 
ments, embrasured  English 
windows  and  mullioned  trip- 
lets    327 

Blinds     inanimates     to     grapple 

with     204 

Blinds,  pent-roof,  hinged  centre 
joint,  roll  up  in  pocket 
blind,  sliding  blind,  full- 
slatted  whole,  half,  or  cut- 
in-centre  blind  327 

Blizzard   of  1888 43 

Block   and   tackle   failure 155 

Block    chocking    251 

Blot     and     smear     a     garden     of 

Eden    301 

Blue    blood    tree 80 

Blue    envelope     214 

Blue  jay,   strident   voiced 41 

Blue   Ribbon   Seven 80 

Bluffs    of  Long  Island 134 

Boat    centreing    lawn 282 

Boat    davits    207 

Boat,    flat    bottom,    yawl-rigged  282 

Boat   lockers    281 

Boat   racks    194 

Boat    repertoire    265 

Boat   ways    207 

Boats,    ways,   and    spiles 208 

Bob    White    35 

Bobbie   Burns    23,  25 

Bobolink,      reed,      rice      bird      or 

skunk    blackbird     41 

Bob-o-Linkon     41 

Bodlime    74 

Bogland    99 

Bogless  farm    99 

Boiler  hung  from   ceiling 281 

Boiler    room     154,   194 

Boilers  having  additional  sec- 
tions    323 

Boiling      spring      stoppered      in 

rock-quarried   excavation...    307 

Bombastic    humans    43 

Bond   incentive    288 

Bonding    the    contractor 288 

Bone-chilling    surprise     226 

Bone-dry    house    213 

Bone  yard  of  terra  cotta  factory  244 

Bonfire   every   day 293 

Bonus,   offering  of 288 

Book    and    microscope 41 

Bookcase    under    stair 227 

Bookcases    183 

Book-mark    motif    183 

Bookmarks    215 

Bookshelf,    novel     219 

Bookshelves    

Bordeaux    mixture    55,   57 

Borders  of  box 81 

Borders    of   English    Ivy 243 

Borer     53 

Bosc,    beurre    53 

Bosky    cover    89 

Boston    hip    and    ridge 313 

Boston   shingle   ridge 61 

Boston    sparrow    scourge 

Boston    Town     221 

Botanical    catapault    81 

Botanical    names    1.03 

Boudoir    a    bedroom 329 

Boudoir   grilled   and   columned..    135 


INDEX 


379 


Boudoir    stairs    227 

Boudoir    suites,    south,    east    and 

west      138,  220 

Bouldered   entrance  posts 113 

Bouldered   posts    cheapened 113 

Bouldered  stone  wall 152 

Bourgeois    chicken    hawk 212 

Bow    gun     140 

Bower     of     beauty,     an     exotic 

entrance     312 

Bowling-    alley,    glass 225 

Bowling-    alley   shielded    by   ver- 
anda         225 

Bowling  alley  under  veranda...    203 

Box    stall    26 

Box    window   view    panes 110 

Boxes,    metal    lined 239 

Boy's    cabin    61 

Boy's    paradise    230 

Brace  up  sills  as  well  as  cour- 
age    338 

Bracing  and  supporting-  parti- 
tions    330 

Bracing-,    scant    289 

Bracken    growth    100 

Bracket  supports  covered  with 
galvanized  wire  coated  with 

cement    310 

Brackets,    mosaic    gold 122 

Brackets,    ship-kneed     277 

Brackets,         side,         electrically 

tipped    281 

Brain    builder    and    saver 74 

"Brain  room   of  the   world" 7 

Brass    for    table    tops 242 

Brass   piping    223 

Brass  piping  under  laundry 
tubs  good,  but  raises  the 

cupidity  of  the  tramp 322 

Breakfast  room,  east 212 

Breakfast    room,    outdoor 130 

Breakneck  Hill   63 

Breastplate   132 

Breeding  stock  in  poultry 33 

Breezemont     138 

Brewing    decoctions    97 

Bric-a-brac    135 

Brick       bay       a       dirt-collecting 

angle   214 

Brick,  soft,  deterioration  under- 
ground    307 

Brick,    hollow    142 

Brick  laid  in  freezing  weather 
must  be  in  cement  mortar, 
but  if  jarred  immediately 

loosens     308 

Brick     laid     in     warm     -weather 

must   be    wet 308 

Brick   laying-   in   zero    weather.  .    290 

Brick  mantel    234 

Brick    mocks    at    powers    before 

which  stone  and  steel  grovel   302 
Brick,      mud      of     commerce,      a 

water   absorber    309 

Brick    oven     221 

Brick    partition     302 

Brick,  piano-wire-machine  made   309 
Brick   (rock-faced)   collects  dust 
and    is    easily    marred,    but 
obviates  stains  from  -window- 
drippings    308 

Brick,    sheep-nose    214 

Brick,    soft    291 

Brick,     souare.     rough    cast    for 

incMn^d    flooring    220 

Brick    tied    hollow    tile    309 

Brick,    veneer,    §cru    face 161 

Brick,  veneered,  air-snaced 142 

Brick.  water  -  '"•roofing  "Mth 
colorless  solution  removes 
the  one  objection  to  brick 

construction    308 

Brick    windowed    shaft...  .    226 


Bricks  too  soft  for  chimneys.  .  .  .    290 
Bridging     not     nailed     to     floor 
ueams      until      just      before 

plastering    316 

Briercliff  riveted   to   ledge 133 

Briers   vs.    flowers 55 

Brinkles  orange  raspberry   47 

Bronze     grilled     lantern-centred 

gateway     335 

Brooders    33 

Brook,    pebbly-bedded    17 

Brook  plants    99 

Brook,    utilization    of 11 

Brown   frog   of   the    woods   more 

woodsy  still   100 

Brown   thrasher    35 

Brush   fire    61,   103,  331 

Buena    Vista    115 

Buenos    Aires     215 

Buerres     53 

Bugs   and    Butterflies 90 

Builder,   amateur    294 

Builder  not  always   to  blame...    292 

Builder,    practical    293 

Builders'    bond    288 

Builders'  duty  regarding  ground 

air    213 

Builders,    responsible    289 

Builders'   truck   horse  cement...    213 

Building   a.    mansion 2J1 

Building  a  rasping  menace 291 

Building    and     planting     tightly 

hand-clasped    157 

Building    at    lower    level,    objec- 
tions  to    330 

Building    contingencies    289 

Building-  dilemmas    289,   291 

Building    dragons     288 

Building    fundamentals    23P 

Building  hastened  with  material 

stacked  to  half-story  height  306 

Building-    hints    to   amateur 284 

Building        honeycombed        with 

errors      242 

Building    laws    215,   289 

Building   mania,    symptoms    of.  .    274 

Building,   method   of 291 

Building    of    mansion 291 

Building,   old   way   of 13 

Building    on    percentage    basis..    294 
Building      on      wrong      side      of 

avenue    or    street 247 

Building    optimists    291 

Building  reduced  to  plain  math- 
ematics         292 

Building  rules,   four 288 

Building    sites    212,  77 

Building    sites    more    important 

than  your  makeshift  house.    338 

Building  to   fit  the  site 132 

Building-   up   a   congenial   neigh- 
borly   neighborhood     341 

Building   vs.    cotton    and    corn..    295 
Buildins:  without  change  impos- 
sible         291 

Built-in    drawers    234 

Bulkhead  of  wired  glass.  ..  .113,   114 

Bull's   eyes,   antique    221 

Bumble    bee   burrow 94 

Bump-on-a-log      stage      of      the 

world    242 

Bungalow    and    two    acres    may 

mean  freedom    58 

Buneraiow   at   cost   of   $900 270 

Bungalow     buildinar     to     enliven 
the   pronerty,  but  go  slowly  3 

Bungalow   fever    251 

Bungalow  for  every  day  in  year  257 

Bungalow,  ideal    274 

Bungalow  motifs    254 

Bungalow,   shack    251 

Bungalow,    stone    274 

Bungalow,   two   story 254 


380 


INDEX 


Bungalow   vs.   mansion 

Bungalows,  expensive,  death 
knell  of  

Bungalows  from  Bengal 

Bungalows  plastered,  papered, 
decorated,  heated  and 
plumbed  

Bungalows,  windmill  construc- 
tion   

Bungalows  with  swinging  barn 
doors  

Burden-bearer,    undeveloped    .  .  . 

Burdett-Coutts,  Baroness    

Burglar    alarm    • 

Burglar,  bug  and  rodent  phased 

Burglar  checkmated    

Burglar  -  proof  filing  room 
boiler  lined  and  electrically 
protected  

Burlap,   new   treatment   of 

Burned  by  winter  sun 

Burning   inflammable   debris.... 

Burning   of   the    Cot 

Burnings    over     

Burnt  wood  design 

Bursts    of    melody    divine 

Business    office    

Butcher   bird    

Butler's    pantry     

Butt,    double    action    

Butter    mold    imprints 

Butterfly  flocks  southward 
bound  

Butternuts     

Buttonwood    reclothed    

Buttress   hollowed   for   plants... 

Buttresses     

Buttresses  improve  a  stone  wall 

Buy  if  an  ideal  site 

Buy  the  landscape  gardener's 
advice  and  then — improve 
on  it  if  you  can 

Buying  the   farm 

"By  that  sin  fell  the  angels"... 

Bvzantine   architecture    


211 


257 
251 


257 
257 

251 

238 

29 

226 

225 
226 


303 
241 

62 
297 
331 
113 
233 
102 
220 

45 

144 

235 

5 

94 

58 

84 

214 

213 

309 

301 


339 
340 
287 
212 


Cabinet  closet  six   feet  high....    277 

Cabinet  for  cut  glass Appendix 

Cabinets,   leaded  glass 233 

Cable   system,   electric    236 

Caddis    worm    94 

Calendar,  floral   212 

Calking    crevices    338 

Call  of  the  land 342 

Calyx    79 

Cambered    beams    325 

Camel    usurper    100 

Camera  plates    229 

Camera     shots     90 

Campanile    213 

Camping  atmosphere    257 

Canada  thistle,  throttling  of....      74 

Canal   boat,  beaching  of 282 

Cancer   rot    84 

Candlemas    weather   prophet....      22 

Cane    girdler    57 

Canker    worm     91,   93 

Canna,    semi-hardy    95 

Cannas,    unblanketed    95 

Cantilever   and    under   brace....    316 
Canvas  and  paper  of  unservice- 
able    quality     has     canceled 

many  a  tile   contract 314 

Canvas     covering     on     balconies 

fastened    with    copper    tacks   320 
Canvas  paint-soaked  for  roofs..    314 
Canvas      roofs,      cracking      pre- 
vented         315 

Canvas-walled   shelters    251 

Capillary   attraction    214 

Capital     of     $2,000     and     income 

from  $1,500  to  $3,000  per  yr.   340 
Capping,    molded    241 


Captain    Kidd's    anchor 277 

Captain   Kidd's    shore    lair 277 

Caravel  Santa  Maria   312 

Carbonized  vegetation    

Carelessness     often      results     in 

the  wrong  stain  or  paint  on 

new    wood     326 

Cares    of   husbandry 58 

Caretaker   for   country   house...    341 

Carload    lot,    saving    on 292 

Carpenter's   bench    63 

Carpenter's    labor    contract 292 

Carpet  of  blossoms 150 

Carriage    sweep    213 

Carrier   pigeon    33 

Cartage    allowance    292 

Carting   away    habit 293 

Caryatides     173 

Casement,   embrasured   Georgian   169 

Casement,   swinging    277 

Casements     215 

Casements    thoroughly    rabbeted   215 
Cast    iron    boilers    less    liable    to 

form    scale    324 

Casts,    plaster,   tinted 233 

Cat    epitaph    27 

Cat    who   never    zig-zaggeo. 27 

Catacombs     93 

Catbird   aliases    39 

Catbriers    63 

Catch-all    shed    59 

Caterpillar,    hairy    91 

Caterpillar   nests    90 

Caterpillar,    sphinx    93 

Caterpillar,  spiny-haired    91 

Caterpillar,  tent    55 

Caterpillar,   woolly   bear 91 

Catkin     79 

Cats     15 

Catskill   house,  view   from 159 

Cattle,  Aberdeen-Angus  polled..      I/ 

Cattle,   Ayrshire    17 

Cattle,    red-polled    17 

Cattle,   roving    243 

Cattle,    short-horned     17 

Cattle      trough,      brick,      cement 

lined    59 

Cattle   troughs,   porcelain 59 

"Cavalier   and    ladye   faire"....      218 

"Cave    Canem"     258 

Cave    of    Macphelah 8'3 

Caves     133 

Cedar    apple     49 

Cedar    bough    protection 85 

Cedar    closet    228 

Cedar,    enemy    of   apple 49 

Cedar,  freshly  cut 228 

Cedar,    old     261 

Cedar-railed   staircase    222 

Cedar    wind    screen 49 

Cedar,    250    years    old 160 

Cedars,   salt-defying    204 

Ceiling,    beamed     220,   325 

Ceiling  beamed  to  ridge 237 

Ceiling   beams,    cambered 189 

Ceiling  beams  cost  less  and  look 

better    if    large 325 

Ceiling  beams   over   plaster 317 

Ceiling'    beams    vs.    window    and 

door  openings    329 

Ceiling-hung   ladder    247 

Ceiling,    indestructible    cement..    115 

Ceiling,  iridescent    241 

Ceiling,  metal    222 

Ceiling,  plaster  effects  molded  in  296 

Ceiling,    segmented    189 

Ceiling   thirteen   feet   high 142 

Ceiling  verdure-embowered    ....    115 

Ceilings    240 

Ceilings,    coved    293,   295 

Ceilings  covered  with  canvas  or 

burlap      lessen      danger      of 
falling   plaster    329 


INDEX 


381 


Cellar    303 

Ceiling-s,    groined    218 

Cellar    ceiling-    224 

Cellar    corners   concave 224 

Cellar    floor    drained    to    water- 
sealed    manhole     224 

Cellar   metal   ash    barrel 223 

Cellar  metal  dust  box 238 

Cellar,    miasmatic    7 

Cellar,    pokehole    150 

Cellar   preserve   closet    224 

Cellar  springs  and  water  courses 

can    be    mastered 307 

Cellar       tarred,       grouted       and 

cemented     9,   144,   224 

Cellar   underdraining-    307 

Cellar   ventilation    225 

Cellar    windows    large 225 

Cellar   woodwork   enameled 225 

Cement    142,  212,   213 

Cement     belting     shadows     and 

lowers    a    house 313 

Cement    cored     with    galvanized 

quarter-inch    mesh   wire    .  .  .    214 
Cement     crandaled     surface     for 

secure    footing1    310 

Cement   crisscrossed  with   nails.    233 
Cement      curbing      edged      with 

metal    corner    bead 311 

Cement    curbing    in   time    nicked 

and  cracked    311 

Cement    difficult    to     change     or 

rebuild    302 

Cement     discoloration     and     ab- 
sorption   of   moisture 330 

Cement   expansion   and    contrac- 
tion        310 

Cement-filled    cavities    84 

Cement  floor  and  wall  inset  with 
wire    screening    bars    rodent 

and  bug   310 

Cement     grouting     mixed     with 

ashes     254 

Cement    gutter    at    wall    footing 

line    (Appendix) 

Cement  house  number  inset  and 
in       public       buildings       the 

name     311 

Cement,   marble    dust 214 

Cement  mixing,  a  little  salt  and 
lime    allows    its    use    in   cold 

weather    322 

Cement   mixture   for   deadening.    281 
Cement,   need   of   metal    weather 

strips     302 

Cement,   rubble    254 

Cement,    scaling    310 

Cement    stepping   stones 71 

Cement  steps   132 

Cement  steps,  nicking  is  delayed 

if  edges  are  rounded 309 

Cement   tanks    11 

Cement,    the   just    right   mixture 

essential     330 

Cement,   three   coat   work 161 

Cement    walks    set    below    frost 

line     310 

Cement  walks  with   convex  sur- 
face        310 

Cement  waterproofed  by  mixing 
crude   oil   in   the   mortar   for 

use  in  damp  ground 322 

Cement,  work,  three  coat 281 

Cementing  a  cellar 309 

Cemetery    on    farm 9 

Cesspools     11,   13 

Chain    of    verde-antique.  .  .    237 

Chair  rail    5 

Chalice    of    nectar 91 

Chandlery,    second-hand    244 

Chancres    in    furniture,    radiators 

or   electric   fixtures 329 

Changes   made   over   signature..    288 


Changes,  minor 

Changes  must  be  made 

Charcoal  filter   

Charles    River     

Chauffeur's    quarters    

Cheating  the   sour   microbe 

Chemical  fire  extinguishers 

Chemical    tanks    on    wheels 

Cheops,  architect   or  builder  of. 

Cherries    35 

Cherry    Lane    

Cherry   planting    

Cherry    tree,    wild 

Chester     

Chestnut    

Chestnut,  alder  leaf  trailing.... 

Chestnut  apt  to  be  wormy, 
creosote  a  remedy 

Chestnut   disease    

Chickadee   optimist    

Chicken    coop    graperies 

Chicken   farming    

Chicken  hawk,  bourgeois    

Chicken   houses   on   skids 

Chicken    runs     

Chicken,    stolen    

Chiffoniers  with  false  backs.  228, 

Childhood,   glamored    hours    of.  . 

Children's    playhouse    

Children's   playroom    

Children's   sand   pile    

Chimney  breast  air-spaced  to 
prevent  dampness  

Chimney    breast    cemented 

Chimney  breast,  white  enameled 
brick  

Chimney  -  centred  leaded  win- 
dow   

Chimney-centred    view     pane... 

Chimney    contours     

Chimney   corner    

Chimney  design  must  not  clash 
with  roof  line 

Chimney    fan,    electric    

Chimney,  fire  flues  tile-lined 
and  collar  joints  plastered. 

Chimney   flat   stone-capped 

Chimney  flues  with  iron  throats 
and  dampers  

Chimney  forcing  the  air  up- 
ward   

Chimney  formerly  the  louvre, 
or  roof  opening,  its  substi- 
tute  

Chimney  foundation  to  bed 
rock,  hard-pan  or  rubble 
foundation  

Chimney   jog    

Chimney  of  Tiffany   house 

Chimney,  built  plainly  and 
strongly  

Chimney,  scaling,  of  cement,  a 
blot  on  the  landscape  and 
builder's  escutcheon  

Chimney  split  in  two  at  and 
above  ridge  

Chimney    swallows    

Chimney,  the  roof-tree's  crown- 
ing glory  

Chimney,   triangular    

Chimney,    two    flued    

Chimney  ventilation    

Chimneys  built  above  the  ridge 
with  cut,  broken  ashler,  or 
rubble  stone  need  especial 
care  in  flashing 

Chimneys  combined  with  stone 
or  terra  cotta  satisfactory.. 

Chimneys,   clustered    

Chimneys  draw  best  with  round 
tile  lining  rather  than 
square  


288 
295 

9 

247 
245 

o 

331 

332 

219 

55 

55 

57 

55 

26 

65 

59 

306 

58 

43 

249 

31 

212 

31 

33 

27 

229 

284 

138 

228 

61 

319 
5 

223 

110 
110 

319 
218 

319 
193 

318 

7 

319 

320 


318 


319 
229 
232 

305 


318 

234 
45 

318 
232 
281 
146 


318 


318 
311 


318 


382 


INDEX 


Chimneys  with  eight-inch  wall, 
or,  better,  two  four-inch, 
iron-tied,  separated  by  two- 
inch  air  space 318 

Chimneys,     fattening     the     slim 

spindle    318 

Chimneys,    grouped    or    stacked  318 

Chimneys   as   heat   wasters 320 

Chimneys  of  both  cement  and 
brick  show  lime  efflores- 
ence,  especially  in  the 

spring     318 

Chimneys        of       lichen-covered 

stone     105 

Chimneys  pointed  up  with  gray, 
red.  black  or  white  mortar 

and  having  raked  out  joints  319 

Chimneys  improve   a  house 318 

Chimneys,    twin    146 

Chimneys,  valleys  and  balconies 

leak     303 

Chinese   room    228 

Chinquepin    58 

Chipmunk    racing    ground 15 

Chips       and      shavings       burned 

each    day     293 

Chorister  months    47 

Chorister      pages      in      Nature's 

book    47 

Christmas   "bayberrie   dyppe"  '  '.  '.  57 

Chubby,    fibrous-rooted  'plants.  .  80 

Cicadas     91 

Cider   orgy . .  .  63 

Ciderless    farm     63 

Circumventing  the  fire  fiend....  214 

Circus    siren    calliope 99 

Cistern,    brick,   in   cellar '7 

Citadels    of    refuge 22 

City  greenhorn    74 

City   Hall   with   wooden   studded 

partitions     304 

City  home   plus  a  country   home  341 

City    tree   asphalt-covered    roots  79 

Clamping    post    251 

Clapboards       abutting       against 

corner   board    129 

Clapboards,   mitred    129 

Clapboards  wrong  side   out 140 

Clapp's    Favorite 53 

Clark '  telescope    234 

Classic    grafted    on    the    Colonial  300 

Classic  head   over  front   door...  161 

Clayey    sub-soils     73 

Cleanout  pockets    222 

Cleanouts    with    accessible    hand 

and    manholes    322 

Clear   water  vs.    sewage 208 

Clearing  and  a  virgin  soil 301 

Clearing   grown   wild    tree 86 

Cleft-in-the-rock     tree     85 

Cleft,   rocky,  edging  shore 277 

Cleopatra     218 

Clerestory   lookout    226,  234 

Cliff  dwellers'   garments 81 

Cliff      dwellers'      stone      fortress 

retreat    299 

Cliff   dwelling    1 

Cliff  Eyrie  galleried    258 

Cliff    footpath    71 

Cliff,  jettied    245 

Cliffed    ravine    239 

Cliffmont    138 

Cliffs,    storm-beaten    252 

Cliffside   gallery    71 

Climatic    topography    301 

Climber   and    trailer 69 

Cloaca    Maxima    arch 226 

Close  valley  shingling  neater, 
stops  leaks,  but  curtails  life 

of  shingles    314 

Closet,    boxed-in     183 

Closet,    housekeeping    224 

Closet,  laundry    22ft 


Closet,  linen,  with  two  full  size 

doors     .  122 

Closet   locations 329 

Closet,  porch   room    229 

Closet,    secret    228 

Closet,    stolen    277 

Closeting     a     bedroom     without 

decreasing    its    area 277 

Closets  and  bays  good  safety 
valves  for  ugly  box-like 

rooms    324 

Closets    behind    panels 228 

Closets,   cedar    228 

Closets  each  side  of  alcove 227 

Closets,   eave    229 

Closets   electrically   lighted    ....  229 

Closets  in  chimney  jogs 228 

Closets    insect-proof    229 

Closets,    large 122 

Closets  painted  and  spar  var- 
nished    229 

Closets  partially  inset  in  parti- 
tions    231 

Closets,  windowed    295 

Closets  with  drawers  and  par- 
titions   228 

Closets    with    sanitary    floor   and 

base   229 

Closing  farm  chapter    73 

Clothes    chute,    aluminum ..  .199,  229 

Clothes  yard  pergolad    239 

Cloudland    211 

Clump-separating     79 

Clutch   of  day  old   chicks 31 

Coachman,    shivering    244 

Coachman's    room    124 

Coal   bins,   brick   partitioned....  224 
Coal   bins   with  automatic   chute 

delivery    224 

Coal  delivery    224 

Coal  discovered  in  the  16th  and 
17th  century,  then  the  era 
of  grate,  stove  and  furnace 

dawned     319 

Coal  efficiency  lessened  when 
heating  flues  hug  exterior 

walls   too   closely    319 

Coal    room 281 

Coal   saving    232 

Coat     of     arms     in     stair     oriel 

window     183 

Coat    room     109 

Cochins 31 

Cocoon    89 

Coclcllir-g    moth,    predatory 74 

Cog,  important  in  kitchen  mech- 
anics    2 

Coign  of  vantage  in  garden....  244 

Coins   7 

Cold  frames    248 

Cold    graperies    154 

Cold  grapery  borders    249 

Cold   storage   room 223,  281 

Coli,  elusive    19 

Colonels      8 

Colonial  and  coeval  English 
Georgian  in  combination 

with  Queen  Anne 300 

Colonial  curlicues  on  the  out- 
side of  each  step 326 

Colonial    garden     81,  243 

Colonial   one-room   cottage   with 

garden    on    roof    315 

Colonnade    218 

Color    decoration    240 

Color   harmony    240 

Color  keynote    219 

Color    matching    important 327 

Colt   protection    69 

Columned         and         architraved 

exterior    212 


INDEX 


383 


Columns,  architrave  and  coat  of 
arms  framing  a  door  be- 
speaking- welcome  311 

Columns,    cement    214 

Columns    inset   with   ornaments.    218 
Columns,   Ionic  capped    ....144,     193 

Columns,    24-inch    diameter 113 

Comma   butterfly    94 

Commission   merchant's   charges     49 

Comfort,    ideal     234 

Commonizing  hair  cloth   sofa...    251 

Common  sense  hygiene    213 

Common   sense   in   building   best 

guiding  rudder    330 

Commutation,  interest,  repairs, 
insurance  and  improve- 
ments    341 

Compass     points     considered     in 

planning    304 

Compassing  the   fourth   compass 

point    135 

Compressed   air   tanks    9 

Concentration     34 

Concord   grape   success 51,   55 

Concord    stoves     217 

Concrete    ford    71 

Concrete    mixture     309 

Concrete  platform  outlasts  wood   321 

Condemned    yacht    282 

Cone-shaped    hats    51 

Conflict    with     canons     of     good 

taste    301 

Coniferous    tree    eater 39 

Conn-ecticut  as   a  bird   field 35 

Connecticut  as  a   plant   field....      35 

Connecticut   Capri    201 

Connecticut    Continental    261 

Connecticut    stony    pasture    land   152 

Conning   tower    226 

Conning-     tower     of     a     Norman 

castle    335 

Conservatory    121,   154,  295 

Conserva.tory      doors      of      plate 

glass    154 

Conservatory,    double    decker. . .    133 

Conservatory,   fountained    193 

Conservatory,    second    story. 295,   320 

Conservatory,    steel    arched 247 

Conservatory,  U-bar    247 

Conservatory,    white    tiled    ...      219 
Conservatory,   wooden   roofed...    193 

Construction   details    306 

Construction     shed     filled     with 

cement,    brick    and    lime....    306 

Contract,    breaking   of 291 

Contract   claims 290 

Contract,    heating    292 

Contract,  labor    ...    292 

Contract   of   manager   cancelled.    292 

Contract,    restudying    of ?9fi 

Contract,    restudying    of 296 

Contract    system,    special 282 

Contract,   written   ratification   of  288 
Contracting    power    of    metal...    302 

Contractor,  bonding   of    288 

Contractor,  honest,    promises    of  280 

Contractor,  individual    295 

Contractor  in  your  debt 291 

Contractors'    excuses    290 

Contractors,    irresponsible    289 

Contractors,    weak-kneed    289 

Contracts,    electric    wiring     ....    294 

Contracts,    heating    294 

Contracts,  one-sided    292 

Contracts,  plumbing    294 

Control    of   tide    levels 208 

Convex  copper  hood 233 

Cooking    galley    282,  251 

Cooking  table  on  casters 2 

Cooking     table     with     soapstone 

top      222 

Copper    213 

Copper    boiler   advantages    223 


Copper  bronzing  walls  and  ceil- 
ing    241 

Copper,   disintegration  of 282 

Copper   flashing  under   and   over 

windows  and  on  balconies..    315 
Copper  gutters  as  lightning  rods  .318 

Copper  house   in  the   west 303 

Copper    in    roof    and    boiler    and 

brass   pipes   tempt   thieves..    314 
Copper  paint  and  rusty  nails...    208 

Copper   plant    labels 95 

Copper  roofs,  ridge  seamed 314 

Copper    sulphate     55 

Copperas    disinfectant    11 

Copyist   of  past   generations....    302 

Cordon-grown   trees    53 

Cork  flooring  eases  feet  of  cook 
and  takes  the  chill  and  slip 
out  of  a  bathroom  floor...  317 

Cork  rugs  and   runners    85 

Corn  and   hay  fields 140 

Corn   and   potato   fields   vs.   land 

values    as    land 337 

Corn    raising    for    silo 104 

Corner      beads,       acorn      tipped, 

relegated    to    the    past 321 

Corner  cove  and  ceiling  cove..  329 
Corner-stone  of  accomplishment  219 

Cornering  elusive   time 297 

Corolla     79 

Corpse   plant 98 

Corraling  the  sun  all  day 304 

Corridor-like   room    122 

Corridor   of  palms,   one   story...    296 

Corridor,    palm-decorated    10.' 

Corridor,  second  story  beamed..  193 
Corridors  arched  and  pillared..  225 
Cost,  approximate  adjustment  of  289 
Cost  as  elastic  as  requirements 

of    vacillating    owner 294 

Cost,   method   of   figuring 294 

Cost   of   building   increased 294 

Cost    of    house    doubled 292 

Cost   of  house,   maximum 293 

Cost  of  labor  two  or  three  times 

that    of    material 294 

Cost  of  new   house,   counting...    287 

Cost   of  plastering   per   yd 292 

Cost,  ten  to  twenty  cents  cu.  ft.    294 

Cost,   $3   to   $8   sq.   ft.  area 294 

Cosy  corner  divaned  and  draped   122 

Cot,    The 61 

Cottage  of  100  years  ago    251 

Cottage,    one    story 251 

Cottage,    rose   porched 217 

Couches    in   pairs 227 

Counting   house   efforts 96 

Country    house    craze 299 

Country      life      underlying      all 

342 

Country  "living,"  'difficulties  of.  .  120 
Country  living,  joy  and  utility  ^ 

Country 'living,  lure  of 287 

Country  villas   

County    fair    91 8 

Court-yard   centre    •  •  •  •  •  •    ^io 

Cowl  -  capped,          zinc  -  sniveled 

chimney  pot   

Cows    alphabetically    named 61 

Crab   apple    7| 

Crag  and  boulder ' * 

r<T-a  fra  Gvl- 

^lclg»       1  ~o       OO1       977 

Crane    1(2>   221>  2?J 

Crane  inset  when  building  is  an 

advantage    ^° 

Crater  garden   1»s 

Crepuscular    goatsucker    «o 

Crippling     • •  •  •    z 

Crippling,   extra   aid   in   hanging 

heavy   pictures    ^ 


384 


INDEX 


Crippling-   is   best  cross-herring- 
boned    315 

Criticism    of   architect 129 

Croftleigh    134 

Cromlech    stone    129,   150 

Crop    succession    74 

Crops,    triple    73 

Crossways     273 

Crotchets  of  comfort  not  always 

expensive 295 

Croton,    giant    87 

Crow    43 

Crow  nest   138 

Crow    walks     55 

Crow's   nest   in   hemlocks 134 

Crude     beginning     and     mature 

development   157 

Cuckoo,   nest-stealing    37,  47 

Cuckoo,   parasitical    45 

Cuckoo  type  of  man 47 

Cuckoos    of    insect    tribe 91 

Cuirass    218 

Cupboards,  urn-crowned    5 

Cup-shaped   tulip   tree    84 

Curbing    213 

Curculio    53,   93 

Currants,   black,  white,   red 55 

Current  short  circuited 237 

Curtailment      and      addition      of 

help     297 

Curtain,  metal,  for  bookcases..  219 
Curving  lines  often  a  luxury..  327 
Cut  nails  prolong  life  of  a  roof  313 

Cut   stone    214 

Cut  worm    93 

Cuthbert  raspberry    47 

Cutting   for   plumber   and   steam 

fitter    292 

Cyclones     288 

Cypress  a  fine  weather  wood...  306 
Cypress,  for  frame,  sash,  belt 

course,  soffit  and  trim 306 

Cypress  gutter  V-shaped  to  pre- 
vent   ice    splitting 317 

Cypress,   spraddling,   prostrate..      22 

Dachshund    andirons     173 

Dado  and  frieze  scheme 5 

Daguerres    251 

Dairy    income    15 

Dairy   records    63 

Dais,    bed     227 

Damage  by  thawing  water  pipes  229 
Damage  loss  vs.  money  penalty.  288 
Dame  Nature's  hearth-stone....  221 

Damming  the  river 

Damp        cellars        an        entirely 

unnecessary   evil    324 

Damp    course    of   moisture-proof 

slate  or  blue  stone  essential   308 

Damsel  flies    93 

Damson    plums    55 

Dan    26 

Dangerous    lode    stones 302 

"Darlings    of    the    forest" 103 

Davenport,   Abraham    124 

Davenport    with    inset    table....    218 

Davenports     234 

Dawdling    habit    contagious....    294 

Day  vs.   contract  job 294 

Dead-lights     230 

Deadening  along  fireproof  lines  309 
Deadening  floors  with  asbestos, 

seaweed,   paper,   hair,   felt..    308 
Deadening    floors    with    mixture 

of      cement,      sawdust      and 

ashes     309 

Deadening    of    walls    and    floors 

in   servants'   quarters 197 

Deadly   sewer   gas 13 

Death  by  over-salting 19 

Death-dealing    moisture  .  .  .    303 

Death-dealing   Triumvirate    ....      58 


Death    eggs    oviposited 93 

Death  hour  in  animal  life   35 

Death  of  Angora  Aurea 27 

Death  of  the   bees 91 

Death    of    sheep 31 

Death     of    tree 83 

Decadence       of       the       dignified 

Colonial    300 

Deciduous   trees   and   shrubs....      77 
Decorating  the   billiard  room...    122 

Decoration    240,  242,   252 

Decoration,    rococo    241 

Decorations,   mural    234 

Decorative    composition   to    con- 
ceal   architectural    errors...    304 
Deeds,    maps    and    contracts    for 

filing    303 

Deer    67 

Defects  discovered  before  plas- 
tering    296 

Defoliation    39 

Delivery    pipe    of    ram 9 

Delivery   wagon    17 

Deliquescent    trees     80 

Den  alcove    234 

Den,    fireproof    220 

Depopulating   the    earth    94 

Design  and  construction  lasting 

forever   299 

Design,       heraldic,      molded      in 

Caen    stone   cement    mantel.    189 
Destroyer      lurking      in      closed 

house     241 

Destruction     of     cement,     stone 

and    iron    302 

Destructive    attrition,    vibration 

and    electrolysis    302 

Details    of    the    building    of    Sea 

Boulders     275 

Developing    concentration    34 

Developing   room    229 

Developing   vistas    77 

Development    75 

Devil's  bit  a  cure  for  quinsy...      97 

Devil's   riding  horse 90 

Devil    wagon    338 

Devon   cattle    17 

Dewberries      55 

Diagonal  boarding  of  under 
floor  lessens  chance  of 
buckling  after  upper  floor 

is    laid    317 

Dies  for  tool  making 63 

Dietetic  poultry  food  values    ...      33 
Difference  in  floor  levels,  advan- 
tage  and   disadvantage   of..    307 

Digger   wasps    93 

Dilemma,    horn    of 289 

Dillaway    place    in   Berkshires..    211 
Diminutive   house   copy   of  large 

house  a  mistake 305 

Dinghy's    painter    261 

Dining  room     187,   189,   220 

Dining-  room,    circular    133 

Dining  room,  Colonial    144 

Dining  room    elliptical     1?.3 

Dining  room  on    new    lines    ....    130 
Dining  room,   outdoor    porch    ...    277 

Dining  room,   round     133 

Dining  room,   16    feet    high..  130,   134 

Dining  room,   16-foot  stud    130 

Dining  room   skylight     325 

Dining  room,   southeast     212 

Dining  room,  summer     152 

Dining  room,   telescopic     270 

Dining  room,  winter     152 

Dining  rooms,  awninged,  out- 
door    138 

Dirt   costs   so   much   per  yard  to 

remove    291 

Dirt-holding    roots    22 

Discounting    the    farmer's    three 

years'   wait  for  asparagus..    340 


INDEX 


385 


Dish   drier,   electrical    

i>ish  towel,  insanitary 

Dish-washing   arrangement    .... 

Dishonest  builder's  modus 
operandi  

Disinfecting  tank 

Disintegration  of  bolt  head  and 
rivet  

Dislodging   the   wood   jigger.... 

Disproving    plant    debility 

Dissatisfaction  over  nonde- 
script production  

Dissipating    depression    

Ditches,    deep-draining    

Ditch-digging  offsets    

Ditch,  natural    

Diving    plank 

Dock  protected  by  brass  yacht 
rail ...•• 

Doctor  Hexamer    ' 1 

Doctor    Holmes'    poem . 

Dog   attributes    

Dog  chicken   thief 

"Dog    eat   dog" 

Dog-faced  pansies    

Dog  monument    

Dog   trots    

Dogs    

Dogging    the   job 

Dogwood    branches,    red 

Dome     

Domed    hall    

Don    

Donjon   gate,    iron    banded 

Doodle    bug-,    plebeian 

Door-bell,   electric    

Door,  Colonial    

Door  controlled  by  foot  pres- 
sure   132, 

Door,  Dutch,  with  and  without 
side  lights  

Door,    early    pivoted 

Door   footings    

Door,  front,  method  of  reaching 

Door   head,    tapestry    draped .... 

Door  just  right  is  a  fine  home 
greeter  

Door    mat    inset 

Door,  oak  -  ribbed  and  iron- 
banded  130, 

Door,    oak,    7x9 

Dook,  oak,   six   feet  wide 

Door  of  bathroom  electrically 
controlled  

Door  of  feudal   England 

Door  of  oak,  iron  strapped  and 
grilled  

Door    openings    moved 

Door   panel   of  the   16th   century 

Door,  pantry,  with  glass  inset.. 

Door   plates    

Door  saddle;  its  passing  means 
less  dust,  disturbance  of 
carpets  and  space  short- 
ening   

Door  saddles  make  a  tighter  fit- 
ting door  

Door,   sliding,   against   chimney. 

Door,    sliding    close-jointed 

Door-step     

Doors   75, 

Doors_  and  windows,  extra  lip- 
ping and  rabbeting  a  neces- 
sity   

Doors  and  windows,  imitation.  . 

Doors,    blind     

Doors,  butler's  pantry 

Doors  close  to  fireplace 

Doors,  closet,  hung  to  open  out- 
ward   

Doors,  double,  between  bed- 
rooms   


238 
223 
223 

289 
13 

302 

82 
87 

300 

240 

21 

96 

244 
207 

274 
,  51 
83 
41 
27 
94 
87 
27 
55 
27 

293 
77 

234 

132 
26 

132 
91 

237 

132 

183 

305 

328 
242 
296 
242 

305 
160 

217 
161 
142 

231 
328 

277 
295 
328 
220 
242 


317 


317 
214 


221 
169 


311 
215 

227 
187 
295 

235 
295 


Doors,    double,    each    side    of    a 

partition    curb    noise 324 

Doors,  douoie,  on  balcony  with 
centre-knuckle  and  elbow- 
joint  311 

Doors,    Dutch 221,   222,   261 

Doors,   exterior  and  interior....    235 
Doors,   four,  in  two  sections. . . .    277 

Doors,    hanging    of 296 

Doors,    invisible    228 

Doors,    metal,    air-spaced 121 

Doors,    metal    sheathed 238 

Doors,     mirror 122,   133.   183,  230 

Doors,    new    close-jointed.  ./....    199 
Doors  of   the   Incas. .......    ....    22u 

Doors,    outside     197 

Doors,    secret    paneled 199 

Doors,    sliding     146 

Doors, .  sliding,   making   one    pil- 
lared room  on  first  story...    154 
Doors    to   clothes   chute   on   each 

floor     229 

Doors,   two,  in  butler's   pantry..    152 

Doorway,    high    portiered 130 

Doorway,  of   unusual   height.  . .  .    130 

Doorway,   tapestry-draped    130 

Dormer,    Gothic     305 

Dormer    lift    305 

Dormers  and  gable  windows 
must  thoroughly  light  that 

third  story 330 

Dormers    in   major   key 213 

Double    barreled    plant. 100 

Double  doors  and   windows 62 

Doubling    floor    beams 315 

Dove    cote     333 

Drachenfels     140,   142 

Dragon,   bronze,  from  Japan....    244 

Dragon  flies   93 

Dragon  in  the  rocky  cleft 204 

Dragons,   building    288 

Drain,  stone   24S 

Drainage    212 

Drainage    for    a    side    hill    house   307 

Drainage   for  plants 78 

Drainage,   natural    252 

Drainage   of    plant   baskets 113 

Draining    a    cellar 305 

Drapery  over  bed 227 

Draughts  shut  off 332 

Draughts  through  health-yield- 
ing chimney  flue 320 

Drawbridge,   feudal 217,   244 

Drawer  in  mantel  breast 227 

Drawer    pull     235 

Drawers  fitted  with   rollers 235 

Drenching  and   mulching 79 

Dress     and     diamond     smuggler 

outdone    229 

Dressers,    manner   of   shipping..    296 

Dressers,    pantry    296 

Dressing    electroliers    :  .  .  .    237 

Dressing    rooms    197 

Dressing    table 228 

"Drest  in  a  little  brief  author- 
ity"    293 

Driftwood  blaze    242 

Driftwood  fire    219 

Drill,   dynamite   and   wedge 160 

Drive    pipe    of   ram 9 

Drop    shelf    2 

Drouth    on    lawns 21 

Druid    altars    129 

Dry   grass   grown   hollow 244 

Dry   rot    254 

Dry  technique  of  building 299 

Drying  machine    224 

Drying-out    days    241 

Dual   purpose   cattle 17 

Duck    guns,    six-foot 273 

Duck   ponds,   trio 71 

Duckling  murderers    59 

Duckling   pond    11 


386 


INDEX 


Dueling-   grounds    73 

Dust-gathering   wool   draperies     241 

Dust  guard   for  books 219 

Dust  line   7 

Dusting    floor    33 

Dusty    highway    retards    growth 

of  vegetable   and  flower....    330 

Dutch    belted    cattle 15 

Dutch   kettle   stands 233 

Dwarf   fruit   trees 47 

Dwelling,    detached,    fireproof...    302 
Dynamite       and      crowbar      up- 
heaved the  stone    153 

Dynamiting  the  soil 49 

Dynamo    231 

Earth    flax    236 

Earth  pupaters    93 

Earth       worm  -  eating       blind 

ground-mole     22 

Earthquakes     288 

Earth's    invisible    choir 41 

East    Medford    naturalist 37 

Eastham     51 

Eastlake    interiors     300 

Easy    chair     237 

Eave  spouts    160 

Eaves   sacred   to   owner's   use...    247 

Ebonized   oak  plank 5 

Echeverias    95 

Echo    in    cement    wall   and    floor  302 

Edelweiss    95 

Edinburgh     23 

Eerie  creeps  dispelled    203 

Eerie  shriek  of  the  night  hawk       45 

Egg  beater,   electric 238 

Egg  to  imago 91 

Eggs,    water-proof    91 

Egyptian  design  in  mantel   face   233 

Egyptian   motto    219 

Electric    cable    system 294 

Electric   fan,   up-chimney 229 

Electric  fans   against  outlets...    277 
Electric      light      controlled      by 

closet    door     237 

Electric  li|?ht  for  chimney  ven- 
tilation    231 

Electric   light   niched 230 

Electric   lighting    2 J6 

Electric   lighting   contract 292 

Electric  lights  edging  pool 203 

Electric  pump    9 

Electric    sewing   machine 230 

Electric  switch    226 

Electric  switch  controlling  ex- 
terior entrances  237 

Electric   up-chimney   fan.... 223,   234 

Electrical    protection    220 

Electrically   protected   safe 227 

Electricity     51 

Electrolier  of  non-rusting  glass 

19,  219 

Electrolier  of  swords  and  bay- 
onets    281 

Electroliers     and     brackets     of 

glass 154 

Klt-phant's    ears,    five-foot 95 

Elevator,    electric    225 

Elimination    of    draughts 302 

Elizabethan     300 

Elm  beetle    58 

Elm    tree    sphinx 93 

Elm   vs.   lightning  and   tornado.      86 

Elysian    fields    95 

Emancipated  superman    238 

Emancipation  dawning    74 

Embryo    grave    digger 93 

Employers'   liability    292 

Emulating  the  railroad  builder.    211 

Enamel,    cream    white    282 

Enamel  white  paint  often  a 
dictator  in  gala  and  bed- 
room    327 


End  of  summer's  reign 84 

Enemies  that  fly,  crawl  or  bore.  57 

Engrine  for  ice   making 238 

English    country    house 212 

English  house    140 

English    sparrow    37 

Enigma  of  life 98 

Enlarging-    small    rooms 237 

Enmeshed   in  friendship   net....  293 
Ennui  and  leisure  detrimental  to 

the  average  business  man..  337 

Ennuied    listeners 41 

Ensilage   for   horses    74 

Ensilage    for    pigs 74 

Entasis    in    a    stone    wall    gives 

added   beauty    305,  309 

Entrance  appreciated  by  mendi- 
cant,     stranger,      or     bosom 

friend    312 

Entrance,  location  of 7 

Entrance,    half   barricaded 130 

Entrance    hall 257 

Entrance    hall    unshadowed 244 

Entrance     hall     square     or     rec- 
tangular       325 

Entrance  ideal,  with  tiled  walk, 
grassy     bank,     and     waving 

fronds     312 

Entrance   which  outshone  a  pil- 
lared,   beamed,    and    paneled 

hall    313 

Entry     changed     to     a     divaned 

book  alcove    326 

Errors,  glaring   296 

Escutcheon     235 

Espalier   fruit  growing 53 

Esplanade     203,   214,  217 

Esplanade,   rock    277 

Essential      changes      should      be 

made    295 

Essentials   of   comfortable   plan- 
ning    305 

Essentials  to  building  success..  291 
Eternal    vigilance    the    price    of 

comfortable    living    302 

Eulogy  on  the  dog 29 

Euonymous,  scale-throttled    ....  101 

Evening  song  of  the  birds 41 

Evergreen     77,  86,   95 

Evergreens,  propagation  of...    .  248 

Every  month  in  year  flower....  96 

Evolution  from   egg  to  larva...  92 
Evolution    of     rough     land     into 

park    73 

Excrescence   on   farm   house....  IS 

Excurrent   trees    80 

Expanding        and        contracting 

powers    of    metal 302 

Expenditure,    lavish    287 

Expenditure,  unwise   69- 

Expense,   avoidance   of   unneces- 
sary     291 

Expense   books    63 

Expensive    houses    entail    extras  297 

Expensive   object  lesson  in  fires  331 
Experience    of    a    novice    dearly 

bought    247 

Experiments     83 

Extensive   plantings    338 

Exterior  and   interior  beauty...  213 

Extras   an   aggravating   expense  292 

Eye   service    294 

Failing  river  of  life 96 

Failure   number  five    51 

Failure   to   uproot   grass   tufts..  59 

Fairview    270 

Falling  plaster    232 

Family    graveyard    25,   26 

Fan,    electric,    up-chimney 223 

Fan-grown  trees    53 

Fan   lights    216 


INDEX 


387 


Farm  barriers    67 

Farm    being   shaped    into   choice 

building   lots    339 

Farm,  bogless    99 

Farm  brook    71 

Farm  business  office 63 

Farm    drudgery    41 

Farm    help    58 

Farm    help   quarters 63 

Farm    house,    alterations 2 

Farm   lawn   vs.    hayfleld 19 

Farm    library     63 

Farm    lightly     

Farm    lookout     34 

Farm    ownership 

Farm    tragedy,    second 25 

Farm    utensils     63 

Farm      values     vs.     village      lot 

values     337 

Farmarcadia     75 

Farmer,       amateur,       vs.      apple 

orchard     120 

Farmer    sometimes    adds    to    his 
substance    through    the    city 

dweller     337 

Farmer,   sophistry   of 9 

Farmer   vs.   commuter 104 

Farmer  who  dodges  three  years' 

wait    for    asparagus 340 

Farmer's  calendar    74 

Farmer's    false    economy 49 

Farmer's   grange    73 

Farmer's    opportunity    41 

Farmer's    wives   and   daughters.      74 

Farming,   amateur    58,  243 

Farming   and    housebuilding....    342 

Farming    the    city 340 

Fathoming    bird    lore 35 

Faucet,  combination    232 

Faucets,   non-projecting    224 

Faulty    construction    if    realized 

will   be  realized   for  life....    329 

Faverolles   31 

Favissa,    a    real 237 

Feature    hall,    stair,    or   both....    325 

Feature    levels    134 

Features,   outlined  pergola,  ver- 
anda,       fireplace,        mantel, 

staircase,   etc 306 

Felting   will   not   entirely   elimi- 
nate noise   317 

Fence  arched  outward  at  top...  65 
Fence,  galvanized  wire  knotted  69 
Fence  of  finicky  cobble  stones  335 
Fence  of  single  buried  stones..  335 

Fence,    verdure    screened 243 

Fences,    rough    bouldered    walls 

of    the    pioneer 335 

Fences,  stone,  brick,  tile,  bronze, 
wire,  cast  and  wrought  iron, 

cement,    and    turf 335 

Fender   top   seats 233 

Ferns,       fronded,      interrogation 

point    183 

Ferns,   walking  on  laud 100 

Ferro-cement    construction    ....    302 

Fertilizer,  liquid   95 

Feudal   drawbridge    244 

Feudal   fireplace    232 

Feudal    hall    217 

Feudal   lords  and   reta4ners 140 

Few  houses  meet  one's  ideal...    301 

Ficus    pandurata    172 

Field    sheds    19 

Field  voles    45 

Fig    trees    62 

Fighting  dampness  with   water- 
proof  paint   and   tar 308 

Fighting  shrike    45 

Figures,    accurate    292 

Figuring   of   artisans 289 

Filberts    58 

Filing-cabinet  fireproof  room...    303 


Filing  room   in  basement 122 

Filler  ferrets  out   the   borer....   257 

Filter,    hygienic    225 

Filter    of    charcoal 9 

Financial     sheet     anchors     may 

prove  convenient    297 

Finials    ; 7 

Finney's    turnip    100> 

Fir    cattle    trough 59 

Fir    plank    flooring 71 

Fire  and  burglar  battling 226 

Fire    and    flood 288 

Fire   axes,    hooks,    bars   and    fire 

rope    832 

Fire   catechism    332 

Fire  control    331 

Fire  control  vs.   fireproof 302 

Fire  dog,  field  of 175 

Fire  draft  stopped  at  beam  ends 

and    plate    line 293 

Fire   drill    for  a   neighborhood.  .    332 
Fire    extinguishers   hung   wher- 
ever needed    331 

Fire!      Fire!      Five      times      in 

twenty-five    years    331 

Fire,    first    aids    for    fire    fighters  332 

Fire  hazard,  elimination  of 248 

Fire   hoods    242 

Fire   in   chimney,   remedy   for.  .  .    332 
Fire   inducers,   dirt   and    rubbish   332 

Fire    irons,    nickel    plated 231 

Fire   king  twice   a  victor 331 

Fire    line    stack 331 

Fire    pole    escape.  ; 226 

Fire    precautions     294 . 

Fire-protected     by    cement    and 

hollow  brick 306 

Fire-protected  I  beams   146 

Fire-protection  by  air  space....    199 
Fire    risk    curbed    at    plate    line 

and  floor  timber  ends 310 

Fire   ropes  of   wire 226 

Fire  safety  seat 226 

Fire  serpent,  trail  of 98 

Fire  shield,  plate  glass 233 

Fire   tools   and  fire   irons 220,  233 

Fire-warders,    grotesque    midget  179 

Fire  worshippers    221 

Fireless  cooker   2 

Fireplace,    black    grottoed 233 

Fireplace      carried      on      trolley 

irons    5 

Fireplace     centred     with     brick 

partition    319 

Fireplace    freak    320 

Fireplace,    hobbed    172 

Fireplace    ingle     124 

Fireplace    jewel    safe 227 

Fireplace  makes  a  draughty 
room,  pulling  air  with  giant 

force    up    chimney 320 

Fireplace  mantel  to  door  height  233 
Fireplace      not       inconveniently 

close  to  doors  and  windows  311 
Fireplace      omitted      in      dining 

room    .  .  . 2-83 

Fireplace    rings    of    iron 277 

Fireplace,    second    story    hall... 
Fireplace  separated  by  a  reredos 

answering   for   two   rooms.  .    320 
Fireplace    set   above    the    hearth 

dangerous    319 

Fireplace,    stone    settled 140 

Fireplace  ten  feet  wide    132 

Fireplace,    tiny    227 

Fireplace  ventilation    122 

Fireplace    vs.    windows 227 

Fireplace  wide  and  prominent 
until  discovery  of  coal  nar- 
rowed its  beauty  319 

Fireplace   with   double   flue 110 

Fireplace  with  ten-foot  opening 

132,    174,    220 


388 


INDEX 


Fireplaces    

Firepla.ces,  cure   for  smoking-... 

Fireplaces  from  Ripon  Abbey  to 
Venice  

Fireplaces,  iron  dampers  and 
baffles,  less  beauty,  less 
flame,  more  heat,  more  com- 
fort   

Fireplaces,    twin     

Fireplaces    with    ash    flues 

Fireproof  and  semi  -  fireproof 
buildings  302, 

'Fireproof    brick    shaft 

Fireproof    brick    vault 

Fireproof   den    122,  220, 

Fireproof   misnomers    

Fireproof    one-story    annex 

Fireproof  paint    213, 

Fires    unguarded    . 

First  aid   in   fighting-   fires 

First  ayi.d  second  mortgages  .  .  .  . 

First  English  sparrows 

First    floor    bedrooms 

"First  think  put  your  work".  .  .  . 

Fish    tank,  water   tight 

Fishing    craft    

Fishing  from   the  veranda 

t  ishing    tackle    

Fissure    in    rock 

Five  exclamation  points 

Five  rooms  at  $180  each 

Five  trunk  chestnut 

Fixtures,  bathroom    

Fixtures,  combination  gas  and 
electric 

Fixtures,  electric    

Flag   pole    - 

Flag  pole  as  cesspool   vent 

Flag-less  pole   

Flambeau   fireplace    

Flashing  window  cap,  frame 
.  and  jointures  

Flat    b'lue    stone    capped 

Flea     

Flicker     

Flies,    omniverous    eaters 

Flitch  or  sandwich  beam,  made 
with  iron  plates 

Floating    platform     

Floor  beams  crowned  to  prevent 
much  sagging  

Floor  beams  eut  at  an  angle  if 
set  in  brick,  stone  or  cement 

Floor   beams,   leveling    

Floor  beams  of  story  above 
never  used  for  ceiling  beams 

Floor  beams,  twelve-inch    

Floor  beams  with  bridle  irons, 
strap  irons,  and  tie  rods... 

Floor    brace    V-shape 

Floor,    dirt    

Floor  for  a  basement  should  be 
under-cemented  and  tarred. 

Floor,   glass    

Floor   grates    for   up-draft 

Floor,  kiln  dried  eight-inch  oak 
with  ebonized  keys 

Floor,     mezzanine.  .130,   172,   193, 

Floor,    oak    

Floor  of  two  and  one  half-inch 
boards  

Floor,  patent  cement 

Floor  poorly  finished  makes 
furniture  wobbly  and  is  a 
fine  dirt-gripper  

Floor,    red    birch 

Floor,    tiled     

Flooring,  Georgia   rift  pine 

Flooring  holds  better  with  cut 
nails  than  with  wire,  and 
blind  nailing  is  essential... 

Flooring  on  scantling-  over 
stone  or  gravel  tears 
asunder  


232 
310 


232 


320 
218 
319 

304 
238 
224 
226 
302 
303 
302 
214 
332 
340 

35 
5 

219 
282 
215 
261 
229 
204 
135 
270 

58 
282 

237 
237 
208 
13 
245 
222 

115 

22i 

94 

45 

91 

316 

207 

315 

315 
296 

317 
254 

316 

254 
9 

331 

132 

222 


5 
225 


317 
254 
110 
179 


Floors,    cement    

Floors,    deadening    of 

Floors   easily   swilled 

Floors,     fireproof,     with     patent 

cement  flooring 

Floors,    hardwood    234, 

Floors,      knee-aching      task      to 

plane    and    finish 

Floors  of  maple 

Floors    of   selected    red    birch'.'. 

Floors,    parquetry    

Floors,    revamping    of.. 

Floors,    tiled     '  \  '  ' 

Flora,   spring  awakening-   of .. 

Floral    contrasts     

Floral   Jack   and   a   bean   stalk.. 

*  loral   surprises    

Florentine  cemetery    .......... 

Floret's  deepest  nectary 
Flower    benches    of    slate.....!! 

Flower  borders  of  cement.. 

Flower    bug-    

Flower    of    sulphur.  .  .'.'.'"' 
Flower     pots     and     boxes     con- 

cealed    in   mossy   banks 

Flowerless  world    

Flowers,    cut    ...!!!! 

Flowers  glorifying  maturity!! 
Flowers    of    childhood.. 
Flowers    of   the    wild.... 
Flowers    of   romantic   youth.!!! 
Flowers,    rare    anthology    of 
Flue,   ventilating,  ceiling  height 

Flush   tank,  low 

Flying  arch,  «wn«tmentation  of '. .. 
Flying  arch   under   stair   soffits. 

Flying    squirrels     ; 

Foliage-embowered    dwelling'' 
Folk-lore    tales   of   Washington! 
v  ollow-the-sun  bungalow 
Foot  scraper  of  iron  gate   brace 

*  ootings,  brass,  for  service  door 
Footings  of  rough  stone.  . .  . 

Footless  larva   

Footstones  of  Solomon's  Temple 

Force   pump    

Forecourt    . ! ! ! 

Forehanded    farmer    !!!.!!! 

Forest-born  house    

Forest    cathedral    

Forest  thinning,  haphazard!!! 
Forest     trees,     folly     of     trans- 
planting    

Forest   wilderness 

Forestry   papers 

Forewarned  and  forearmed    . 

Forfeit    vs.    bonus 

Forge    '.  !  ' 

Forge,    electric    .!!!!!. 

Formal   garden,   Italian.  ...!!!!! 

Fort    Nonsense    

Fortressed    homes    ! ! 

Forty  days  without  food  failed 
to  kill  Doctor  Tanner;  four 
minutes  in  the  black  hole  of 
Calcutta  would  have  closed 
the  contract  

Forty-room  house  to  ten-room 
house  

Foster   mother   hen 

Foul    air    

Foundation  angle  to   fit  the   site 

Foundation,    boulder   stone 

Foundation,    frost-proof    

Foundation  must  total  twelve 
inches  wider  than  super- 
structure   

Foundation   posts,   cedar 

Foundation  squared  and 
plumbed  

Foundation,  stone  entasis 

Foundation  stones,  brown  and 
green  


213 
293 
222 

317 
317 

317 
234 
155 
146 
5 

222 

81 

243 

100 

96 

82 

47 

219 

219 

91 

248 

312 

90 

240 

96 

96 

96 

96 

80 

223 

231 

310 

329 

59 

:;••:; 

124 

251 

311 

242 

224 

93 

251 

3 

214 
9 

303 
71 
84 

85 
133 

57 
287 
290 

63 
225 
150 
124 
232 


320 

200 

11 

9 

304 
146 
244 


307 
261 


305 
110 


274 


389 


Foundation   stones    tar    coated..   214 
Foundation       wall,       j'>-s       and 

a,ngles   add   largely   to  cost.    308 

Fountain 133,   21S 

Fountain-centred    room     129 

Fountain,  electric,  flower  bor- 
dered   191,  277 

Fountain,    ibis-centred     244 

Fountain   of   Youth 96 

Fountain,    Pompeiian    ..........    129 

Four  doors  hinged  to  make  tw-o  251 

Four   footed    friends 

Four  poster    62 

Four  seasons  in  glass 121 

Fowl    coop    247 

Fragrant  sassafras    84 

Frame     to    remove    partition    if 
necessary,       and       stud       to 
admit    of    cutting    doorways  330 
Framed      mosses      and      autumn 

leaves 251 

Framed   nature   picture    312 

Freebooters 91 

Free-from-odor   house    223 

Freedom     from     coal     dust    and 

furnace  noises   236 

Freedom    from    noise,    heat    and 

cold    252 

Freedom  of  country  life 63 

Freeing  plant  food  enslaved  for 

centuries    49 

Freight    allowance     292 

French   casements    184 

French   Renaissance    212 

Fresh   -Water    Cove 61 

Frieze 5 

Frieze,  stenciled    . ' 234 

Frisky    s  s  .,.;., 25,   26 

Frogs  lifted   by   herons 100 

Frogs-  that  changed   color 100 

Front   door   approach 326 

Frontiersman's  expedient    226 

Fronton  glassed  in  like  a  ward- 

ian  case   .  . . 325 

Fruit    243 

Fruit  and  game   pictures  tabu..    220 

Fruit    crop    . 53 

Fruit    diet     47 

Fruit    eaters     93 

Fruit,    worthless     49 

Fruticetum    77 

Fumed    oak    trim 324 

Funeral    cortege     26 

Funnel    ceilinged    corridor    223 

Funnel    hall    from   front   door   to 

roof    172 

Furnace  cold  air  box  of  metal..    323 
Furnace    overheating    prevented 
by     fastening     one     register 

open 323 

Furnace  with  double  fire  box...    236 

Furring 161 

Furring  up   of  floors   shirked...    317 

Gable    apex     254 

Gables     115 

Gables    of    chestnut    plank 161 

Gables   paneled    213 

Gables  with  hanging  balconies 
and  verdure-canopied  ver- 
andas    331 

Gala    rooms    237 

Galvanized   iron   pipes   painted..    322 

Galvanized   mesh   screens    224 

Galvanized    wire    lath 281 

Galvanized    wire    seat 239 

Gambrel    roof    adds    beauty    and 

comfort     305 

Game    preserve,    protected 101 

Garage     138,   213 

Gfiras-e.   fireproof    245 

Garage,    fireproof   cement 203 

Garage   in   an   under-hill    house.    307 


Garage,   inexpensive    315 

Garage    pit    .'...... 203 

Garage    with    turn   table 245 

Garbage    incinerator,   ga* 223 

Garden  a   house   extension    243 

Garden,  Colonial    140,  243 

Garden,  of  Eden  clouded  by  frost  1*2 

Garden  pests    31 

Gardens,   formal    217 

Gargoyles,    rabid-mouthed,    gro- 
tesquely   molded    172 

Garret  heightened    7 

Gas   log  connection 2S7 

Gas-packed    cesspool    11 

Gas   piping    237 

Gasket 132 

Gasoline"  engine 9 

Gasoline   in   earth-buried  tank..  307 

Gate,    iron    pointed 244 

Gate,    lych    243 

Gate   valve    in   sewer   pipe 13 

Gate  with  chain  and  cannon  ball  239 

Gates  and  barriers 334 

Gates,    concealed 226 

Gates   limitless 334 

Gates. opened  awkwardly   51 

Gateways    shrub-arched    243 

Gazebo,  pergolad 203 

Geese 15 

Gemmed  'mid  rock-ribbed  moun- 
tains '.'.',..  '.  .  '• •' 211 

Geometrie.ally   designed    garden.  243 

Georgia   pine   beams... 291 

Geranium    cutting's,    10,0.00 248 

German    vinegar    making 63 

Get-it-in-at-all-hazard     features 

may  mar  a  unique  design.  . .  327 
Getting     acquainted      with      the 
nooks      and      corners      of     a 

house    in    one    day 328 

Giant's    Causeway,    America's...  153 

Giant    croton    87 

Gig    tumble .-'...  23 

Gilt     monstrosities',     banishment 

of 236 

Gim-crack  creations  outcome  of 

license    .','...  . .  300 

Girder,  pillar,  entablature,  frieze  299 

Girdling  rabbit,  balking  the....  49 
Girt     and     girders    made     from 
separate       beams       nailed 

together     315 

Girts  of  pre-Revolutionary  barn  244 

Glacial   action    221 

Gladsome    hand    of   greeting....  99 

Glaring       contrasts,       such       as 
Gothic      elbqwing      Colonial, 

avoided     .'...............'...  304 

Glaring  plate  glass.'.  ... . 214 

Glass    .... ::..;:.. 213 

Glass    for    racks,   set    basin   sup- 
ports,  etc 231 

Glass    for    table    tops...... 231 

Glass   from   floor  to"  window   top   110 

Glass    hood    in    kitchen 281 

Glass  house   front  cellar   to   roof 

tree    ...'.. 

Glass  -  ribbed        reflectors        for 

cellar    : : : : ; 

Glass    traps    si    mechanical    pos- 
sibility        322 

Glass    tubes    concealed    at    cor- 
nice  line 237 

Glass-walled    room,    cooling    of.    234 

Glassed-in    porch    . 321 

Glassing    in    under    veranda.  155,   225 

Glazed    brick    303 

Glittering    ice    plants    89 

Gluttonous    debauchee    91 

Goats,     Angora     31,   58 

"God.    the    first    garden    made"..      82 

"God's   first    temples"    65 

"God's   in  His   Heaven" 75 


390 


INDEX 


God's    messengers    41 

Golden  carpet  'neath  the  shrub- 
bery   &a 

Golden-hued    rock    274 

Golden   queen   raspberry 47 

Golden    woodpecker 45 

Goldfinch    .,      39 

Goldfish,    murder    of _7l 

Gong    of   feudal    times 132 

Good   ship   Fortune    51 

Gooseberries 55 

Gothic   arch ','.    329 

Gothic  cottage  with  head-hit- 
ting ceilings  and  jig-saw 

embellishments    300 

Gothic  stair  coeval  with  early 
stair  of  France  and  Ger- 
many    325 

Gothic   tortuous   winding  stair..    325 

Gourds    102 

Gourmands,  aphidiverous    93 

Government   maps    57 

Government   seeds    103 

Governor    Woods    55 

Gradient       of      a       true       water 

shedder     305 

Graffito    treatment     169 

Grafting     49 

Gra  nary     41 

Grand-dad    sleigh     61 

Grandfather's  clock    261,  277 

Grandfather's      clock      on      stair 

landing     134 

Grandiose  architecture  vs.  grace   305 

Granite    ledge    vibration 129 

Granite    stepping    stones,    6x8...    154 
Grannies    crowned    geniuses....      97 

Grape    border    preparation 249 

Grape-growing,   crude    249 

Grape   protection    55 

Grape    setting's    55 

Graperies,   chicken   coof>    249 

Grapes ;  . .    243 

Grapes      big      producer*,      nen- 

mildewers  and  sure  ripehers   339 

Grapes,    Hamburg    .  .  .  .-„• 249 

Grapes,  Niagara    55 

Grappling   iron    .- 277 

Grass  and   brush    fire...; 113 

Grass  diggers 93 

Grass-grown  crater   .  . . '; 222 

Grass   paths    underdralfeed 239 

Grave   diggers,   embryo- 93 

Gravel    pit 22 

Gravel  vs.  town  asphalt 243 

Gravelly  loam    : 73 

Gravelly  southern   slope 247 

Graves,    elimination    Of 25 

Gray   skies    .'...• 43 

Gray   squirrels    .  ; 22,   65 

Grease    trap* 223 

Greased   ways    291 

Great  Danfe  'andirons    173 

Greek    god 218 

Green  frogs  ot  the  lily  pads. . . .    100 

Green  Mountain  State 31 

"Green     not    alone     in     summer 

time" 134 

Green  soiling;   21,  74 

Green  striplihfrs:- -73 

Green  wood  s-nrlnks 303 

Green  wood  sponsors  dry  rot...    326 

Greenery    bird    retreat 89 

Greenhouse  bouquet  of  bloom..    154 
Greenhouse,        expensive        con- 
struction avoided   247 

Greenhouse  feeder   193 

Greening  dead  stumps 99 

Greenwich    Inn    124 

Grille   of  brass   concealing  safe.    227 

Grille,    stair    261 

Grilles,    hinged    236 


Grilles,    metal    236 

Grim   Reaper    13 

Groin  a   vaulted   roof 329 

Grooved    for    sheet    glass 215 

Grosbeak     39 

Gros-Coleman     249 

Grotesque   midget    fire    warders.  175 

Grotto    under    store    arches 201 

Ground    air    213,  224 

Ground     hog     burrows 22 

Ground    mole,    blind 22 

Grounds   arboretum   edged 150 

Growing  odors  of  bloom-packed 

flower   pit    248 

Growing    plants    on    stairs    and 

centre    table     240 

Growth,    arch    enemy    of 240 

Grubs    35 

Guest    book    alcove 239 

Guest    room    ever   remembered..  315 

Guest   rooms    227,  254 

Guest    stair,    private 225 

Guernsey    cattle    17 

Guinea  fowl    33 

Gullied   slopes    22 

Guns    229 

Gutter,   arris,   zinc -lined   cypress  318 

Gutter,   cement    224 

Gutter,    cobble 144 

Gutter       crimped       to       prevent 

bursting    with    ice 318 

Gutter   problem    exasperating...  318 
Gutter,   stone,    elimination   of...  69 
Gutter,    ugly    half    circle    hang- 
ing   gutter    318 

Gym.    in    the   open 122 

Gymnasium     225 

Gymnasium,    canvas    floored....  122 

Gypsy   moth    37,   58,   74 

Hair    raising    poachers 45 

Half-above-ground  cellar    62 

Half-back    service    stair 326 

Half    moon    decoration    in    seg- 
mented   ceiling    189 

Hall   alcove   screened 234 

Hall,  circular  and  vaulted 132 

Hall,    domed  .  . 132 

Hall    draught    stopper    160 

Hall,   feudal 217 

Hall,    flambeau    lighted 232 

Hall,  gallery,  nine  feet  wide....  132 

Hall,  Hartford  council 124 

Hall  lighting    227 

Hall-mark    of    distinction    or    a 

black   mark   of  mediocrity.  .  311 

Hall    of    Farrie,    arboreal 

Hall,    red    tiled 277 

Hall,    stop-draught    277 

Hall,    the    keynote    of    house....  217 

Hall,    33x33,    second    story 183 

Hall  treatment,   unusual 

Hall,     20x40,     beamed     and     col- 
umned       142 

Hall,    twenty-five    feet    high....  237 

Hall    with    barreled    ceiling 133 

Hammer     noises     controlled     by 

low   pipe   connection 323 

Hammer  tap   travesty    290 

Hammock,    tree-swung    251 

Hammocks    hung    in    shadow    of 

post    and    arch 204 

Hancock,   John    217 

Hand  imprints  of  2,000  years  ago  129 

Hand    rail,    curved 129 

Hand-rived    shakes    of    Colonial 

days     313 

Handy  boy    294 

Hanging   shelves    63 

Happy-go-lucky   lad 282 

Harbor   view    159 

Harbor    watch    dog 286 


INDEX 


391 


Hardware     235 

Hardware,    gold    plated 118 

Hard  wood  better  than   soft  for 

paint    282 

Hardy    English    walnut 59 

Harrows     59 

Harvard,    Roman,    and    tapestry 

brick    309 

Harvest   of  form   and  color 94 

"Has    been"    242 

Has-been    (?)    Ox 19 

Hauberk    218 

Haven  of  rest 242 

Haverstraw  tunnel    159 

"Hawk    from    a    handsaw" 293 

Hawk   moths    92 

Hawks    of    insect    world 93 

Haws,    scarlet    87 

Hay    barn    1 

Hay    crop     15,  21 

Hay  crop   throttled 74 

Hay    ricks     15 

Hazel   copse    39 

Hazel   nuts    58 

Headpieces     of     service     can     be 
made     of     sheet     lead,     zinc 

or    tin     314 

Headers    and    stretchers    laid    in 

Flemish  or  English   bond...    309 
Health-giving-    North    woods....    211 
Health-giving  rays  of  the  sun..    303 
Hearth    arches,    skew    back,    4x6 
timbers   halved   prevent  dis- 
placement        319 

Hearths    233 

Hearthstone,    giant    221 

Heartsease    273 

Heat,   sun  and  ventilation 241 

Heater,   kerosene    248 

Heater    piece     101 

Heating  and  water  pipes  carried 
to    porch    and    conservatory 

and  capped    321 

Heating  economy  calls  for  large 

fire   box    323 

Heating,    luxurious    Roman 236 

Heating  pipes  concealed    200 

Heating  plant    189,   236,   324 

Heating   plant    for   hot-house...    248 
Heavy    soil    suitable    for    crops 
needing   the    whole    summer 

to    mature     338 

Hebron     83 

Hedge  of  arbor  vitae    335 

Hedge  barriers    67 

Hedge      in     double     and      triple 

rows    69 

Hedge,  irregular  curving    243 

Hedge  of  grotesque  shape 69 

Hedge   of  Japanese   privet 67 

Hedge    of   laurel    willow 67 

Hedge    of    Norway    spruce    and 

hemlock 335 

Hedge  ogee  curved    69 

Hedge,   osage   orange 67 

Hedge   propagation    69 

Hedge     pruned     to    spell    "Hill- 
crest"    €9 

Hedge,    Rosa    rugosa 67 

Hedge    rows    transformed 55,   78 

Hedge,  sweet  brier 67 

Height  and  width  of  plate  shelf  329 

Heirlooms,   attic-stored    62 

Hellebore     57 

Help-draw,   ugly   chimney    pot..    234 

Helter-skelter    egg    deposit 92 

Hemlock,    poison    88 

Hemlock,   towering    71 

Hemlock's    faithful    branches...    134 

Hen    hawks    33 

Hennery      neither      square      nor 

plumb    247 

Henry    IV,    Part    II 287 


Henry  of  Navarre 87 

Heraldry     189 

Hermit    thrush    47 

Hero     of    New    England's     dark 

day    124 

Herons    lifted   the    frogs 100 

Hibernating    house    62 

Hickory   blight    58 

Hickories 58,   65 

Hidden  basic  construction    304 

Hidden   waterways    89 

Highboys    221 

High    pillared    fronts    and    pan- 
theon  entablature    300 

High   posters    5 

Hillcrest   Farm    17 

Hillcrest   Hall    121 

Hillcrest    Manor    104,  140 

Hillcrest    Manor   Park 73 

Hilltop    105 

Hinge,   double   action 235 

History,  sacred  and  profane....  87 

Hitting    the    nail 294 

Hobby  unseated    19 

Hog  Hill    63 

Hog  selfishness   41 

Hole-in-ground  greenhouse    .... 

22,  247,  329 

Hollow    brick    142 

Hollow  brick  tile,   covered    with 
cement,  is  ideal  construction 

in  non-earthquake  countries  309 
Hollow      brick      veneered      with 

shakes     303 

Hollow   brick  double   wall  brick 

tied     309 

Hollow      square      of     our     farm 

buildings    331 

Hollow   tree    shelter 2.99 

Hollow   tree   trunk  hibernation.  94 

Holocaust  of  insects 57 

Holstein-Fresian     17 

Holy-stoning    5 

Home     247 

Home-brewed  extracts 97 

Home       embowered       in       apple 

blossoms    129 

Home    greeter,    a 27 

Homes,  outing 251 

Homestakers    61 

Honey,    poisoned     88 

Honeycombed   parapet    239 

Honorable  mention    74 

Hood    for   range 2 

Hood,    glass    281 

Hooded  mantel    325 

Hopping   sparrows   43 

Hornet    94 

Horse  ambition   41 

Horse    and    extra    man    at    work 
grading,     thinning    out    and 

setting   new    trees 339 

Horse   and    windlass 103 

Horse    barrel    cart 55 

Horse    boarders     26,   58,  339 

Horsechestnut   tree,    giant    241 

Horse  dirt  scoop 22,  244 

Horse    diseases    19 

Horse    posts    in    shade 244 

Horse    shoe   arch    155 

Horse   uncurbed    23 

Horses     15,   17 

Horses  vs.   houses 304 

Horseradish    patches     .  .          ....  99 

Horticultural    alphabet    80 

Horticultural    sextette    78 

Horticultural  vagabond 15 

Hot   air   currents 236 

Hot  air  heating  plant  and  front 

door    sill    register '.  .  .  323 

Hot-bed    sash     247 

Hot   water   heater    223 


392 


INDEX 


open 
com- 


Hot     water     heating, 

expansion    tank    i 

plete  safety  valve 
Hot  water  pipes  liable  to  freeze 

through  carelessness  of  help 

Hot    water    plant 

Hour   glass   moves  more   swiftly 

in    the    horticultural    world. 

Houdans     

House  additions,   preparing  for. 
House,  adjustable   telescopic.... 

House,    analysis   of 

House  anchored   to   ledge 

House  angle  to  suit  the  site.  .  .  . 

House,    arched,  under 

House,     bi-family     

Houseboat   on   land 

House      builders      never      attain 

coveted    perfection    ......... 

House,    building     fundamentals: 

health,  comfort  and  idealism 

House  .costing   $12,000 

House,  .costing   $2,500 

Hbuse.ij.rude.  jn  the  morning  has 

ev«ry  .partition   in   place   by 

n.igh.t 

House  "deterioration    

.House,    enlarged,,    yet     not     en- 
larged 

House,   heated    

House  ideal    

House  indiv'idualization  close  to 

line  of  criticism 

House,  lacking  of 

House,  making  of  the 

House   martins    

House  moving  cost 

House,  new,  counting  cost  of... 
House,     new,     swung     into     the 

mire    of    mediocrity 

House,   hew,  u'ritaxed 

House   octagonal    . 

House   of  a   dozen  balconies.... 
House  of  flesh  and  blood. . ..... 

House  of  the  cross 

House,    portable    

House,  psychic  effect 'of  an  ideal 

House   rising   from    ledge 

House  round  as  a  gasometer... 

House,    sanitary 

House   side-hilled 224, 

House  site,  bare,  hole-in  ground, 

stoned-up      cellar,      upright 

posts,    completed    dwelling.. 
51,   110, 

House,   stone,  vs.   health 

House,   studying   from   garret  to 

cellar  .....-..-. 

House,    telescopic' 

House  that  spanned  a  city  block 

House    untaxable 

House    warmer    

House   well   back   from    road.... 
Household    gods   and    heirlooms. 

Housemaid's  sink 

Houses,  moving  a  quintette  of.  . 

Housing   the   hen 

How    to    build •. 

How  to  face  a  house 212, 

How  to  have  large  attic  rooms. 
How      to      know      your      house, 

though   unbuilt    

How  to  partition  a  house  in  one 

day     

Humanity,    unsophisticated    .... 

Hummer,    ruby    gorget-throated 

Hundred       roomed       mansion 

crowning    hills   of  Lenox    or 

Aiken     

Hurdles,   sheen    

Husbandry,    details     of 

Husking-   bee    

Hydraulic   power    


323 

323 

236 

237 
31 

304 
203 
295 
306 
301 
307 
158 
282 

305 

301 

288 

288 


329 
302 

158 
244 
211 

305 

297 

305 

35 

53 

287 

313 

215 
303 
115 
160 
129 
257 
240 
213 
303 
254 
274 


330 
273 

296 
200 
115 
215 
232 
330 
331 
232 
159 
247 
287 
304 
110 

327 

328 

290 

47 


299 

243 

135 

33 

9 


Hygiene     21:: 

Hygienic   bath,    the 322 

Hygienic    ice    water 11 

Hygienic   surface    241 

Hygienic    wall    covering    241 

Hyla,    the     79 

Hypocaust   of   Rome 236 

I-beams,    posts    and    stirrups    of 

iron     213,   306 

Ice    blast    cavern 244 

Ice,   cost  of  gathering 71 

Ice    house   vine-screened 71 

Ice     house,     roof     framed     with 

logs,   and    hay   protected....    314 

Ice-making   plant    224,   238 

Ice   pond    71 

Ice  storage  room    71 

Iceland   moss    95 

Icelander's    igloo    299 

Ichneumon    fly    ... 99,   93 

Ideal        hypercritical        building' 
requires  .    ample       f  u  n  d  s  , 

ground   and   time 301 

Ideal   power    9 

Ideal  suite 135 

Idyl   must    be   a    real    idyl,   anti- 
podal   to    man-made"  town.  .    338 
Ignorantly      vandalizing      finest 

building  conceptions   300 

"I   laugh   at   the    lore" 41 

Iliad  of  woes    291 

Illumined   highway    75 

Immune    grapes    55 

Imperial    eagle    212 

Importing     Philadelphia      house 

trim      157 

Impoverishing    the   soil 58 

Impressionist     43 

Imprisoned    buds    of    the   maple.      45 
Imprisoning  June  within  a  glass 
framed    room    adjoining    the 

dining  room    311 

Improvements,    exterior     227 

Inanimates   warring  against  the 

flesh     gg 

Incas,   peaked   arches   of 226 

Incubators     33 

Independence    through    develop- 
ment        337 

Indian,   moccasin-shod    213 

Indian's    wigwam    site 150 

Indifferent   stupid   tyke 146 

Indirect   radiation    323 

Infective    dry    rot    prevented    by 

air  space    316 

Infringement     on     kitchen     and 

basement    169 

Infront   and    outf ront 252 

Ingle-seat     189 

Ingle,   usable    238 

Inglenook    130 

Inglenook   grilled   and   columned   138 

Inglenook,  high  arched 124 

Inglenook  of  living  room 277 

Inglenook,   recessed   110 

Inglenook   semi-partitioned    ....    329 

Ingress    and    egress 239,   311 

"In   my   salad   days" 1 

Innovations    require    thought    to 

avoid   the   grotesque 313 

Insane    asylums    74 

Insanitary  plumbing   .  . 13 

Insect  acid   flesh  protection 92 

Insect  and   fungi  destroyers....      57 

Insect    autocrats     *. 93 

Insect   color  warnings 92 

Insect    destruction 37,   90 

Insect    dwellings     91 

Insect    feeding    on    insect 58 

Insect    fighting    74 

Insert     formed     similar    to     elm 

leaf    92 


INDEX 


393 


Insect   genealogical"  tree 92 

Insect    gourmands 3,  31 

Insect     Habitation,     concealment 

of 04 

Insect    head 92 

Insect  houses,  stone .  .  .' 94 

Insect    immune    plants 87 

Insect  lair  invaded  by  tar 331 

Insect    leaf   homes 94 

Insect  life,  predatorf. 90 

Insect  life,   unending   procession 

of     .......... 92 

Insect    menu    . . V ..'...      35 

Insect   nonilllons    ..............      90 

Insect    orphaned   world "94 

Insect    pest,    passing    of ........    229 

Insect    progeny 90 

Insect    scavengers „',-•»• .-.'.'.  94 

Insect,    skunk    .'.'....,., :'?.%»'.  -*•'.  ,92 

Insect   trust    ',,-,' —  . .      57 

Insect   vs.   giant. ./.  .'*^~.. .94 

Insect  with  sail-covered  wlprgs.  91 
Insect  wooden  bUiYchfrs"."-- -'.V. ."  94 
Insecticide  for  fly,  mosnufto 

and    spider 115 

Insectless    world     90 

Insects   and   fungi   vs.    fruit   and 

vegetables 55 

Insects,  antennae  of .  . .  fc. 92 

Insects,  checkmating  of :.'.....:  2S2 
Insects,  environmental  cfislguTse 

of 92 

Insects,    four-winged    92 

Insects,  pollen  carrying. 84 

Insects,   vegetivorous    ...:.......      93 

Insecure   nailings   gap 303 

Insidious    foes,    fungoid    •grtwth 

and    ground    air 307 

Inspect  before  plastering 295 

Inspection,   delay  for. .....' 295 

Inspector     .....'.. 294 

Inspector  a   burden   carrier 297 

Inspector,    necessity    for 293 

Insurance,   fire  and   glass 292 

Insurance,  lapsing  «*.......,..,.      61 

Insurance,  lessening  of  premium 

on     332 

Insuring   stock    '.  ~. .      19 

Interest    and    taxes 340 

Interest    chargfe 292 

Interference,  uncalled  for 291 

Interior  timbered  alM  stuccoed.  140 
Interior  Vs.  exterior'.'.'. ...  7 ; ...  305 

Interiors .'.' 252 

Interrogation      point     fronded 

fern's    ....... ..Y. ..  ..:^_.^r;  183 

In  the  swim  o'r  away  from  it...    211 

Introduction  Day   .'.... 90 

Investigation   proves-  ottr    world 

weedless 99 

Ionic  and  Doric  cap. ...  .*  ...':.'.  299 
Iron  beams  vs.  Georgia  pjne 

girders'  .'. ..    .:.7 — .  » , .  316 

Iron    grilled   front ;';;..JV-»..;   222 

Iron     pipe     system     of     efec,tric 

installation    : 2?6,  294 

Iron  post  and  gir*er  ffwattrefl  in 

cement  for  fire  protection.  .    310 
Iron      posts       supporting      iron 

girders     ..........:....„...    310 

Iron   roller  inset  in  pier 207 

Iron   roofs   and   girders   for  out- 
buildings   succumb    to    rust 

and  decay 315 

Iron    trolley    rail    brace 146 

Iron   work    must   be    rust-proof.    310 

Irresponsible   contractors    289 

Irrigation    74 

Isaac's    burial    83 

Island  House    150 

Island    in    duck    pond 71 

Islands    of   evergreens 22 


Islands,  verdure-crowned    142 

Isolation   from  clatter,   heat  and 

odors 115 

Italian  garden    140,  2UO 

"It  feels  a  pang  as   deep" 90, 

"It's    always    morning" 208 

Ivy   of   bushy-headed    growth...  98 

Jacob's    burial     83 

January   changed    to    June 227 

January     house     vs.      December 

product 301 

Japanese    chestnut    58 

Japanese   evergreen,    midget....    312 

Japanese    gods    of   stone 244 

Japanese  plants    77 

Japanese    rooms     122,  228 

Japanese   silk  .effect 241 

Japan's  painstaking  propaga- 
tion of  plants 101 

Javelin    140 

Jay   human 41,  47 

Jeremiads    of    contractor 291 

Jersey  cattle    17 

Jewel  safe  cemented  in  wall.  .  .  .    227 

Jewelry  concealed   229 

Joy  of  living 146 

Joy    of    pruning 8S 

Jugglery   and  jingle   of  dollars.      41 

Juliet  of  the  insect  world 93 

Jungfrau,  our   220 

Keeping    room     5 

Kendal   Green 82 

Kerosene   fire-quenchers    331 

Kerosene  torches   of  destruction     55 

Kerria's    pea-green    stalks 77 

Key  cabinet    235 

Keyless    and    never-closed    bird 

restaurant     101 

Keys  of  wood  in  gables 161 

Kiddom,   glories    of 284 

Kieffer  pear   53 

Kill-weed    liquors    69 

Killing  tension    96 

King   and    churl :  .  .  .      13 

King  apples    ."..'... 49 

King  Herod's  edict 82 

King-  Moisture   coming   into   his 

own 303 

King   of  Day 35 

King'  of  trees 85 

King    post    holds    up    ridge    and 

centres    collar   beams. 306' 

Kingfisher's    bachelor    traits    ...      41 

Kinglets  of  the  evergreen 

Kingship   of   living 121 

Kitchen     cabinet     of"    enameled 

steel     ...  .  . .  . .  .'.'.'.- 223 

Kitchen    drain,    purification   of..        9 
Kitchen  galley    . ..'..'... .'. . . . ... .   193 

Kitchen,  light    ........... 7 .    295 

Kitchen  mechanics,  culinary 
appointment's,  and  dining- 
room'  on  lower  road  level.  .  307 

Kitchen,  north  and  east' 212 

Kitchen  odors,  elimination  of...    223 

Kitchen,    semi-Dutch 221 

Kitchen  settle   2 

Kitchen,    small 2 

Kitchen,   white 222 

Kitchen,  white  tiled 193 

Kitchen,    winged 115 

Knickerbockers     51 

Knife  of  the  •mower   .'. 103 

Knight's    vi*or    .  , 154 

Knocker,  brass    221 

Knocker   electrically   connected.    237 

Knots    shellacked     62 

Know  your  house  though  un- 
built    327 

Labels,  copper   95 


394 


INDEX 


Labor  and   material   bills 288 

Labor   cheap    289,   296 

Labor    contract    288,   296 

Laehenfeld    cattle    15 

Ladders     sheltered     under     ver- 
anda floors    332 

Laddie's    lotus-eating    days 260 

Lady-bird,    smug    93 

Lady-bird    turtles '     59 

Lagoon   and   curving   waterway.    159 

Lake,    inland    211 

Lake  -  protected      dwellings      of 

Switzerland     299 

Lamps,  non-rusting  metal    160 

Land-locked    lagoon    204 

Land  titles    287 

Landscape  gardening    22 

Landscape   gardening   on  paper.    339 

Landscaped   villas    133 

Landscaping,    expense    of 292 

Landscaping  keeping  pace   with 

building    296 

Lantern,    cathedral    237 

Lantern,   King  Alfred's    237 

Lanterns,    Paul    Revere 281 

Lanterns    suspended    from    gar- 
goyles         281 

Lapsing  to  the  antique    5 

Lares    and    penates 219 

Large    rooms   vs.    small 252 

Last  of  thirty  steps  in  building  161 
Last  plant  to  leave  and  bloom.  .  101 
Last  stand  against  insect  world  74 
Last  word  in  building  is  never 

spoken    330 

Latch-key,    fighting    for 289 

Latch   of  Colonial  days 2.12 

Latch-string     2«8 

Latch-string,   far  cry   to  pulling 

the   160 

Latest    bird    callers 47 

Lath,    galvanized    wire 161,  281 

Lathe    63 

Lathe,  electric 225 

Latitude  in  contracts    297 

Lattice,    vine    embowered    239 

Laurel,  lamb-kill    84 

Lavatory 169 

Lavatory   stolen   from   cellar....    152 

Lawns,    beautifying    of 77 

Lawn   contours    ,31 

Lawn,    lengthening    of. 243 

Lawn  motor   21 

Lawn   ornaments    244 

Lawn,  -preparation    of 21 

Lawn    seed    21 

Lawn,   systematic  rolling  of.....;     .21 

Lawn    vista 243- 

Laze  bugs    91 

Leader  connections    9 

Leaf    blight    5J5 

Leaf   hopper 55,   91 

Leaf  mansion  of  cherry  twig  tier     94 

Leaf-roller  weevil    91 

Leaf  tent  miners ., 9-t 

Leaks   thart  mar. 318 

Leaks,  their  caiiae  and  remedy.    317 
Leaks  through  in&idious  avenues   303 

Learning  plant  names 91 

Leather  injured  by  moisture.  ...   2 
Ledge  barren  of  water  courses.  .    270 
Ledge    formation   Interesting  to 

geologist    ~  •• 203 

Ledge,      rough      edged,      lichen- 
covered     . 133 

Ledges 140 

Ledges,   stone   piled   on 15 

Legal  forms    ...'.  .-, 292 

Leghorns   

Leo.  King  of  St.  Bernards 27 

Lenidoptera,  50,000  species  of,   91,   92 

Leprous   black    knot 83 

"Let   God   do   His   work" 124 


"Let     the    dead     past     bury     its 

dead"     252 

Letting  farm  on  shares 58 

Lexington    247 

Libby   Prison    31 

Library    189,   219 

Library   alcove   in   bayed   tower.    154 

Library    on    north 212 

Library     side     wall     of     leaded 

glass    193 

Lichen-covered     stone     outcrop- 
pings   115 

Lichen-rifted    rock     100 

Lichens     21 

Lien  laws   of  mechanics 289 

Life    defenders    and    prolongers.      97 

Life-giving    sap    cut    off 237 

Life  in  the  open  for  ten  months  239 

Life   of   a   house 301 

Life   saver    or    destroyer 88 

Lift,   balanced    155,   194,   235 

Lifted     above     the     turmoil     of 

earth     315 

Light    a    good    defense 237 

Light   sandy   soil   best   for   early 

crops     338 

Light   screened   for  horses 244 

Lighting,    diffused     237 

Lighting  fixtures    237 

Lighting    house    from    the    out- 
side     237 

Lighting,    indirect    237 

Lightning  rod  questionable  pro- 
tection         318 

Lightning  rods    7 

Lightning,     speed-crazed     26 

Lightning  strikes  Buena  Vista's 

tiled   tower    331 

Lights,  electric    237 

Lilacs    57 

Limb    breaker    stair 254 

Lime   efflorescence    213 

Lime,  pock-marked    321 

Lime   with  sand 74 

Limestone     disintegrates     more 

or  less  japidly 307 

Limitations  of  unlimited  wealth   3 

Line    of    succession 299 

Lin.en      closet      with      Victorian 

.    £..  doors 228 

Linen   drawers    . 227 

Linen   storage   in   French   farm- 
house       22/7 

Linings,  -felt    .  .  . 289 

Lintel,   carved   griffin 113 

Lintels,   carved    154 

Lintels,  -peaked'  v. 2 

Lion  rampant  in-  tiled  floor 1 

Lions   flanking' front   door 160 

Little   Minister    120 

Little    Turk    .  ... 53 

Living    and    gala     rooms     made 

-.re    impressive    307 

five  centuries 65 

is  serious  business 28 / 

room 217.  251,  257 

iving    room    'screened 27^ 

Living   room,   size   of 277 

EMMyg.  room,   south   and   west..   212 

Living-    room,    35x45 183 

Living  spring  a  travesty  when 
house  is  gridironed  with 
pipes  connected  with  com- 
munity reservoir  30 1 

Loam    re-topping *| 

Lobster  tank    28^ 

Location     *•»  J 

Location   of   kitchen 3 

Location   vs.    construction. ......    212 

Lock  and  hinge,  invisible.  .  .220,  228 

Lockers    • 230 

Locks,    burglar-proof    ££° 

Locks,    mortise    ^5 


395 


Locust  immunity  57 

Log-  burner ?32 

Log-  cabin 257 

Log  cabin  of  Brobdignagian 

proportions 221 

Loggia  241 

Loggia,  red  quarry  tiled 218 

Loggia,  treatment  of  brick-  floor  220 

Log-slat>bed  dwelling  140 

Logs  peeled  and  varnished 221 

Lonesome  grandeur  of  large 

room  184 

Longfellow's  first  poem 100 

Long1  Island  Sound's  sand  and 

rock-bound  shore  211 

Long  Island  Sound  yachting 

ground  211 

"Look  before  you  leap" 287 

Lookout  222 

Lookout  above  dusty  highway..  121 

Lookout,  farm  7 

Lookout  room  234 

Loop-the-loop  rack  225 

Lost  in  the  mountains  of  Leba- 
non    299 

Lost  vista  247 

"Lotus  eating  days" 247 

Lounging  room,  outdoor 129 

Lowboys  5 

Low  candle  power  bulbs 2?,7 

Low  ceiling  5 

Low  land  hot  and  damp 53 

Lowering  a  ceiling 329 

Lowing  herd,  ripening  harvest, 

swirl  of  bloom 342 

Lumber,  souvenirihg  of 293 

Lumber,  waste  of 289 

Lure  of  the  lumber  pile 342 

Lure  of  the  town 41 

Luxurious  comfort  on  warmest 

days  .  . . 204 

Luxurious  vernal  growth 335 

Machine,  rowing'  122 

Madame  best  authority  for  room 

location  304 

Maggots  93 

Mahogany  s'tkin 281 

Maine,  rock-ribbed  coast  of....  157 

Majestic  pine  65 

Makeshifts 2 

Making  a  lawn 21 

Malarial  poison  i-^y .  .  . 98 

"Malice  aforethought"  room....  138 

Man-bird  seeking-  234 

Man  cook 63 

Mail  of  the  .eurth 98 

Mangles  ..'...,..,. 224 

Manoeuvreing'  apriry  268 

Manorial  panes  ...;'. .  .  214 

Man's  care-free  legacy 160 

Man's  existence  hirtging  on 

insect  Iffe  ...'.  . 90 

Man's  head  to  ground... 41 

"Mart's  inhumanit^  to  nian" ....  90 
Man's  progress  from  primordial 

cavern '. 299 

Man's  self-destruction  13 

Mansard,  Monsieur  .  . . 21"5 

Mantel  breasts  233 

Mantel,  brick  ..-..- 234 

Mantel,  brick-hooded  154 

Mantel  decoration  242 

Mantel  face  niche 135 

Mantel  fronts  . 242 

Mantel,  hooded  242 

Mantel,  iron-bound  oak 175 

Mantel  mirror  barred  23" 

Mantel  of  weather  beaten  boards  222 

Mantel-  shelf,  high 233 

Mantel  shelf.  Vow 233 

Mantel,  shell  decorated 251 

Mantel,  stone  189 


Mantels     144,  233,  329 

Map  of  escape  from   maze 244 

Maple,    bird's-eye     228 

Maple  borer    84 

Maple,    grain    of 234 

Maple,   green   and    white   striped 

bark     84 

Maple    sugar   harvest 84 

Maple,    use    of 235 

Maples     57,   65 

Maples,  split-thread  leaf 84 

Marauder    vs.    Marauder 58 

Marauding  freebooters 92 

Marble   dust   cement 214 

Marble   steps    326 

Marbleized    front    161 

Marmion's  plume    244 

Marquise    132,   160,  244 

Martin,    praying     90 

Mason's   delays    290 

Mast    282 

Mastering    dry    details    of    con- 
struction      306 

Mat,    inset     317 

Match  lock    221 

Material   ahead    of   requirements 
best    goad    to    keep    job    at 

concert    pitch    293,  306 

Material    bills    288 

Material,    cheap    289 

Material,    checking    of 293 

Material,   figuring  on 292 

Material,    kiln-dried    296 

Material  not  to  be  taken  away.  .  294 

Material    supply   men 291 

Material,    waste    of 293 

Mathematics,  long  and  short.  .  .  .  294 

Matterhorn  plants    95 

Mattress    hammock    228 

May   circus   vs.   planting 99 

Mayan    palace,    crude 299 

Mayflower    pear    51 

Mayflower's  errand  of  peace....  189 

Maze,    Hampton    Court 244 

Maze,  privet    244 

Meadow  lark    35 

Measurements,   accurate    294 

Measurements    to    be    taken    by 

manufacturer     294 

Meat-eating-  plant    99 

Mechanics'    lien    laws 289 

Mechanics   vs.    contractors 296 

Meddling      with      contracts      re- 
quires infinite  care  and  skill  309 

Mediaeval    castle    142 

Medicine  eloset,  mirrored 231 

Megalithic     masonry     of     Italy, 

Greece    and    Egypt 300 

Melancholy    days    95 

Men,  handling  of 296 

Merino  sheep    31 

Mesh  scree-n,   galvanized    282 

Metal  beading  on  stair 121 

Metal  box  for  floor  cloth 223 

Metal      bridging      supplemented 

with    wood    315 

Metal   doors   air-spaced 122 

Metal  ear-labeled  animals    17 

Metal   framework   for  utensils..  222 

Metal    shelves,    asbestos-covered  214 
Metamorphosing       with       sruano 

and    shears    86 

Miasma-breeding  cellar   7 

Mice     15 

Microbe,    aerobic     

Microbe,    anaerobic    13 

Microbe,   elusive    220 

Mjcrobiologist,    State     58,89 

Microscope    90 

Microscopic  lever    92 

Microscopic  view  of  hive 34 

Mid-heierht    platform     on    stair- 
way       225 


396 


INDEX 


Midnight    marauder   foiled 237 

Midnight   prowler   balked 226 

Mid-stair    platforms    .  . 326 

Mightiest  monopolistic  trust....      53 

Milch    cow    aphides 93 

Mildew 248 

Mildew,  the  arch  enemy  of  grape  249 

Milk 17,   19,   243 

Milk    storage    excavation    7 

Milk  snakes    100 

Milkweed,   rubber-producing    ...      99 
Mills,  country   wood   working...    290 

Milton's    blue    hills 247 

Minaret    213 

Mind-built   houses .    301 

Mineral   wool    236 

Mink    33 

Minor    within   a   major    world...      92 

Miiag*    rooms    230 

Minorcas,    black    31 

Minstrel    balcony,    14x20 179 

Mirror    doors     230,   237 

Mirrors,  eagle-crowned    5 

Mirrors,  foot  wide   218 

Mirrors    for    dressing    require    a 

good  light 311 

Mirrors,    location    of 230 

Mirrors,   triplicate    231 

Mirrors,   vista    230 

Mirrors,    wall    dressing 216 

Mission,   keyed   and  doweled....    300 
Missionary    work    for    pure    air 

and   healthy   living    341 

Misusing  a  southern  exposure   .  .        7 

Mitchell,    Donald    G 19 

Moat    244 

Model  house   in   cardboard 328 

Model    house    skeletonized 328 

Model  shows  size  and  location 
of  rooms,  doors  and  win- 
dows   328 

Modus     operand!      of     dishonest 

builder     289 

Moisture  confined  is  a  destroyer  326 
Moisture     in     stone     walls     only 
balked      by      imbedding      in 
cement,    tarring   and    under- 
draining 305> 

Moisture-laden    south    and    east 

winds .    338 

Moisture    loopholes    289 

Moisture   vs.    rheumatism 303 

Molding,   convex   sweep 234 

Mole   runways    22 

Mollu.sk    vs.    boats 20-1 

Monastic    grass    paths... 243 

Alonetary    responsibility    288 

Money-grubbing   age 41 

Money    in    poultry. 33 

Money    wasted    on   one   lawn....      21 
Moneywort,    yellow-gernmed    .  . .      89 

Monilia     53 

Monkey   climber    86 

Monsieur    Mansard     215 

Monte  Nuovo   crater.  . 15^ 

Moody's   white   farm  .  .  .  .- 15 

Mooring    rings .    207 

Moorish    castle     *•"  ~ 

Moorish   house   with   flat   roof...    315 

Moorish    suggestions    157 

Morning    room     5,  227,   230 

Morning    stroll    . ,41 

Morphine   poppy 88 

Mortar  joints,  red.  .  ..'.".  ...*.....    153 
Mortgage       decreased       without 

paying   a   dollar 330 

Mortgage    may     be     a     fallacious 

nightmare    1 

Mosaic     gold     122 

Mosnuito    and    malaria-breeding 

ditch     244 

Mosquitoes     94 

Moss,   asexual    21 


Mossy    peat 10Q 

Moth,    regal    93 

Mothering    cider     63 

Moth  s.    92 

Motif,   the   cross 129 

Motor    boat    berth 207 

Motto  on  door-sill 258 

Mottoes    244,   332,   33?,   334 

Mottoes,  painted   - 219 

Mound,     frost-proof     11 

Mount  block,  stone 244 

Mount    Mansfield     154 

Mount    Marcy,    snow-erowned.  .  .    154 

Mourning   cloak    94 

Moving  day  for  the  farm  house  103 
Muck  with  sand,  mixture  of....  74 

Mud    cocks    223 

Muggy,  moisture-laden  dog  days 

bad   for  the   cabinet   maker.    324 

Mulching     79,   248 

Mullins,   Priscilla    51 

Muntins,    curved     144 

Muriatic    acid    214 

Muscat    Hamburgs     249 

Mushroom    venture    62 

Music   room,    carpetless 218 

Myles    Standish     51 

Nadir    of    architecture 300 

Nailing,   insecure    289 

Nails   and    hardware    under   lock 

and    key     297 

Nails,    hand-wrought     221 

Nameless    seedling    apple 51 

Naples,    volcano    of 150 

Napoleon's   emblem    34 

Napoleon    willow    88 

Narcissi,    border    of .  82 

Natives    purblind    to   speculative 

values     33S 

Nature    in    equilibrium 90 

Nature's   epitome   of   human   life 

seen   in  tree 83 

Nature's   secret    unlocked 89 

Nature's   waking   hour 36 

Necessary    roads 338 

Nectarines 53 

Neglect    of    pruning    knife 83 

Neoclassic    of   the    fifteenth    and 

sixteenth   centuries    300 

Neolithic   pennpit  of  early   Eng- 
land     299 

Nest-stealing   vagrant 37 

Never  -  to  -  be  -  forgotten    home- 

greeter    27 

Ne\v    England' 'housewife. 82 

New  England  poet"  of  the  hills  124 
New  England's  dark  day.;.'."...  124 
New  methods  'not  necessarily 

more    expejjglve    327 

New    old-fasnioried    ribbon    gar- 
dening  , 22 

Newel,   Himalayan    lathe    turned  183 

Newel,    lion    rampant 183 

Newels    , IS-1) 

Newspaper        advertising        plus 
skill,      patience,     'and      per- 

severmrce     341 

Newton,  hills  of 247 

Newtown   Pippins 49 

Niches      238 

Night    hawk 45 

Night    moths    93 

Night    watchman    wise    precau- 
tion   in    a    large    job 297 

Nipping    frost    11 

Nit  rate  of  soda 21 

Nitrates  with  sand,  mixture  of.  .      74 

Noise     barriers     324 

Noise,   dust  and   fire   risk   reduc- 
tion         224 

Non-biting  constrictor 15 

Nonillions    of    insects 90 


INDEX 


397 


Non-silk    spinners    93 

Norman    stables    244 

Norman  tower     140 

North    room    transformed .  216 

Norther    (the)    fruitlessly   beats.  339 

Northern    Spy    

Norsemen -on   battle   bent 189 

N6tre    Dame    gargoyles 160,  281 

Novelty    siding    142 

Nuisances  that  injure  the  coun- 
try home   338 

Nursery    ; 228 

Nursery    ceiling    with    chart    of 

star-studded   sky    228 

Nursery    frieze  •  . 228 

Nursery  stock  and  nurseryman.  339 

Nuthatches    43 

Oak    220 

Oak  apple    93 

Oak    of    two    and    one-half    cen- 
turies        208 

Oak,    spurious    quartered    327 

Oak,    swamp     57 

Oak    vs.    maple 208 

Oak  wainscot  destroyed  by  borer  257 

Oaks    of    Mamre 82 

Obsolete    parlor    .  . . 251 

Ocean    liner    as    seen    in    model 
room  points  the  way  for  the 

house    builder 328 

Odd  hours'   search  for  a  fortune 

in    land 33S 

Offshoots    -. 79 

Ogived    Gothic   stair 326 

Oil    212 

OH     for     tools 63 

Oil     stove,    unhygienic «.3,   247 

Old     foundation     serious     handi- 
cap           301 

Old    Glory    245 

Old-time   granny   plant   names..      97 
Oldest   inhabitant,   affidavit   of..      51 
On  the   ground  floor  friends.'...    338 
One-at-a-time    door    contrasting 
with      wide      door      of     hos- 
pitality         328 

One    contract    system 292 

One-room  bungalow    299 

One-room       Saxon      chimneyless 

dwelling     :  .  .  .    299 

One  thousand  per  cent,  property 

advance    337 

Only    work    that    kills .      98 

Ontario's       rare       dry       climate 

favors  unpainted  tin  roofs.  315 
Onyx  mantel  face  and  hearth ..  122 
Orange  rust,  spring  and  fall...  57 

Orchard     facing     west 11, 

Orchards     140 

Ordering  ahead   296 

Orders,    rush,   objection   to 296 

Oriel    panes .    214 

Ormolu,    ornamented     122 

Ornaments,    home-made     242 

Orphaned    progeny     94 

Orpingtons    • .  .  .      31 

Os€uary    35 

"Our   birth   at   best  a   sleep"....      98 

Outbuildings     -  214 

Outdoor    dining-room    for    serv- 
ants      • 115 

Outdoor      material      for      indoor 

uses    nonsensical    *  .  .    324 

Outdoor    to    indoor   couch 228 

Outlets,    electric    169 

Outline    columns,    pilasters    and 

dp      spandrels    329 

Outlining   hearth 242 

Outshot      of      Old      England      or 

woodsrfwd  of, New  England.  .  33'J 
Overcast  days  brightened 248 


Over  decoration  detracts  from 
painting,  statuary,  etching, 
and  century  framed  oak.  ...  313 

Overdrafts     291 

Over  floor .  covering  either  half- 
inch  cork  or  cheaper  cork 

matting    317 

Overflow   pipe 11 

Overflow   pipes   large 232 

Overhang  adds  valuable  area 
with  same  foundation  ex- 
pense    316 

Overhang  deadened   115 

Overhang  deadened  with  min- 
eral wool  or  cement 308 

O-\erhang  four  to  six  feet 254 

Overhang    of    eight    feet 169 

Overhang,   wide    129,  234 

Overhead   automatic   sprinkler..    332 

Over-heat   and    over-odor. 301 

Over-mantel    decoration    222 

Over  mantels   233 

Oversight   over   all    fires 297 

Over-windowed   house   and   frail 

nell   area 313 

Ovule    : : . .     79 

Owner's   suite    ..........   226 

Ox  road ....".  ""65 

Ox   vs.    horse 19 

Oxen,    cost    of. :-/-....*.*  -19 

Oxygen  in  lungs  of  :men  and 
depths  of  matter  lengthens 

Oyster  Bay,   sand  bluffs  o'f'.'.l'sV,  135 
Ozone-bathed   peak-.%... 211 

Pack-horse,    treadmill    worker. .      75 

Paddock l,  26 

Painstaking        propagation        of 

centuries 101 

Paint,   heat-proof 236 

Paint  not  always  a  wood  pre- 
servative    326 

Paint  that  wears  off  under  soap 
and  water  not  worth  the 

labor   of   putting   on 326 

Paint,    water-proof    214 

Paint,   white   water    225 

Painter's   contract    «*....    292 

Painting  or  staining  artistfcally   3<J5 
Painting  phantasy    in   white....    240 

Painting    rules 7 

Painting    to    lower    height 171 

Palladian    formality    212 

Palm,    Oriental .    240- 

Pancake   water  plant 219 

Panel,    exterior,    5x10    feet 169 

Panel  in  exterior  house   wall...    189 

Paneled    wainscot    118 

Panels    in    closet    doors 228 

Pansies,  Spitz  dog-faced 81 

Panthenogenesis    of   plant    life..      99 
Pantheon,    earth    proudly    wears 

as  the  best  gem  in  her  zone  299 

Panther  head   brackets    183 

Pantiles      214 

Pantries    . 2,   194 

Pantry    door    pivoted... 220 

Pantry  door  with  glass  inset...      20 

Pantry   dressers    296 

Pantry    service    shelf 220 

Pantry,    serving    159 

Pantry  shelf  warmer 220 

Papaw     55 

Paper    tests    241 

Paper  that  gives   tone 240 

Papering    240 

Papers   in   polychrome   effects...    240 

Paradise   for   farmer    boy 99 

Parapet    203 

Parasitical  dodder   99 

Parasitical  eggs   92 

Paris    green    57 


398 


INDEX 


Parking  of  narrow  village  lots.  335 

Parlor,    conventional     5 

Parlor     floor     roadways     banish 

the   dust   nuisance 330 

Parlor,   funeral    251 

Parlor,   once  a  year 251 

Parquetry   borders   of    %    stuff..  234 

Parterres    of    flowers 22 

Parting   strip,   v/ooden 144 

Parting      strips      with      adjust- 
able  screws    216 

Partition  moving    329 

Partition    removing     . 295 

Partitioning  a  house  in  one  day   328 

Partnership   in  buying  the  farm  341 

Passers    into    the    beyond 94 

Passing   of   the    insect   pest    ....  229 

Past    and    present    222 

Pastoral    scene    215 

Patchwork        quilt,        iridescent 

fleur  de  lis    81 

Patent    plasters     321 

Path,    winding     150 

Paths    and    walks    may    blemish 

a  fine  conception 304 

Paths,    blue    graveled 213 

Patio,   columned  and   arched....  218 

Patio,   the   heart   of   house 232 

Patriarch   of   the   houses 140 

Paul  Revere  knocker 217 

Payment,    double    288 

Payment,    Saturday's    290 

Payments,    handling    of 288 

Peach    borers     57 

Peach   trees,   short   lived 06 

Peaches,    pit-grown 

Peacock    »| 

Pear    tree,    long    lived 63 

Pear     tree,     oldest      in     United 

States  planted  in   1632 51 

Pearl   oyster,  arboreal 45 

Pedestals     formed     by     indented 

platform     160 

Pelasgic  wall   softened  with   ivy 

and    woodbine    314 

Pelidnot,     spotted     55 

Pennpit,    neolithic    13 

Pent   eaves    J 

Peppermint  test    13 

Pere    la    Chaise 82 

Perennial    growth    79 

Pergola    cross    members    sweep- 
ing   downward    with    under 

curve     312 

Pergola,      sloping      timbers      for 

broader    span     312 

Pergolad   outdoor   gym 124 

Pergolas     55,   200,  218 

Pergolas    and    belvedere    add    to 

a   property 312 

much  more  than  their  cost.  312 
1  Pergolas    lower    high,     box-like 

--  -f    structures    312 

j'jNtfrgolas,  outlying   160 

Perigee    tide     290 

•Permanent   home   anchorage....  299 

Perpetual-  motion    machine 11 

•  -  Persimmons 55 

Pet '  Holjby  unseated 19 

Pets^..V.r 73 

Philip'  of  Mount  Hope 97 

Philippines    81 

Phillips  Brooks'  house 130 

Philosophy   of   building 299 

Phlegmatic,    pessimistic,    skeptic  146 

Phoebe  bird    41 

Phoenix    risen    house              13 

Photomicrographic    field    90 

Photos   In   scale    110 

Physical    development    122 

Piano  on  stair  landing 134 


Piazza,    posts    wrongly  ,  outlined 
and      wrongly     placed      mar 

any  house    .  . 309 

Picture    molding '.'•-.    5 

Picture   window   pivoted 118 

Picture  windowed  bay    325 

Pictures  at  eye   line 219 

Pictures    in   wood 155,  241 

Pictures  of  fruit  and  game  tabu  220 

Picturesque    Swiss   chalet 299 

Pier,     protected     by     galvanized 

iron  mesft 274 

Pier  to  deep   water 203 

Pig    door 216 

Pig    nuts    58 

Pigeons     15,  247 

Pigs 31 

Pigs,  ringed    31 

Pigs,    Yorkshire    parallelograms  31 

Pike     218 

Pillared    Colonial    front 212 

Pillars    of    iron    pipe    filled    with 

cement    310 

Pin    traps,    steel 22 

Pineapple    cloth    82 

Pines,  Austrian   103 

Pinetum    79 

Pinnacle     211 

Pinnacle  and  Shore  Rocks 203 

Pinnacle    fireproof    213 

Pinnacle,  mind-built  for  twenty- 
five   years    .  . 211 

Pioneer  block  house  aspect.....  221 

Pipe,  asbestos-covered    236 

Pipes,  exposed,  -avoid  the  neces- 
sity of  breaking  plaster....  322 
Pipes,  .prevention    of   clogged...  223 

Pipes   set    in   sulphur 71 

Pipes  at  right  angles  for  plumb- 
ing are  trouble,  makers 322 

Pippins-,    Newtown     49 

Piratical    fish     71 

Pirating    birds     45 

Pistol   gallery  •". 122 

Pitch    pine   knots 222 

Plains   of   Mamre 82 

Plaisance   of  garden 244 

Flan   of   building    291 

Planning      generally      synonyms 

compromise     301 

Plans    and    specifications,    treat- 
ment  of    288 

Plans  should   be  accurate 289 

Plans,    substitute    295 

Plans    to    be    lived    with    a    long 

time     305 

Plans  unchanged  mean  dissatis- 
faction     „ 296 

Plant  arrangement    77 

Plant   basin,   marble-rimmed....  183 

Plant   baskets   of  stone 113 

Plant    boxes 144 

Plant  contamination,  curbing  of  154 

Plant   contrasts    95,  101 

Plant   decorated   fire   rampart...  113 

Plant,    dpuble    barreled 100 

Plant    labels,    imperishable 95 

Plant  life,,  apogamy   of 99 

Plant     life     shielded     the     stone 

roof t 314 

Plant   life   vs.    money 99 

Plant    lineage 89 

Plant  names,  homely,  every-day  96 

Plant    niches    161 

Plant    owners    unappreciative  .  . .  95 

Plant  potting  as  recreation    ....  248 

Plant    reserve    banks 100 

Plant    that    blooms   after    loafng 

leaves      81 

Plant     whose     life     b*OOd     eases 

pain     81 

Plant    window,    south 113 


INDEX 


399 


Planting,      neighborly      and 

unneighborly    247 

Planting   rules    78 

Planting    small    plants    by    the 

thousand    339 

Planting    too    closely 83 

Plants  arrogantly  com- 
mandeered    93 

Plants       edging       brooks       and 

woods    96 

Plants   for  seashore 204 

Plants,    fungi-immune    87 

Plants   in  hedge  rows 3.7 

Plants,  insect-immune    87 

Plants,    oogamous    99 

Plants,  over-night   surprise 97 

Plants      replenished      from      the 

greenhouse    312 

Plants,  salt  air  and  mist- 
immune  202 

Plants,     smooth     stemmed     and 

leaved     100 

Plants,  spindling 247 

Plants,    sub-arctic    95 

Plants,    thallophytic    99 

Plants    that    squarely    face    salt 

water    101 

Plants   unlabeled    95 

Plants,  variegated    87 

Plants,  wide  range  of 98 

Plants,    yellow,    list    of 61 

Plaster   barriers .  183 

Plaster  board,  desirable   in  cold 
weather,   useless   for  a  bar- 
rel,  dome    or   curved    ceiling  321 
Plaster  casts  in  over  mantel...  270 

Plaster    casts    tinted     233 

Plaster  ceilings  and  walls  but 
little  more  expensive  than 
shellacked  and  re-shellacked 

wood    327 

Plaster  decoration   296 

Plaster,    first    coat,    brown   coat, 

finish  skim  coat > 321 

Plaster,    frozen,    rubs    off 321 

Plaster  of  paris,  if  sparingly 
used  by  a  mason  minus  a 
conscience  makes  a  plaster 

that   rubs  off    321 

Plaster  protected  by  wainscot- 
ing    327 

Plaster,  untrue  surfacing  pil- 
lories for  all  time  a  careless 

mason    ....    321 

Plaster,    wood    pulp 282 

Plastered  ceilings  often  dan- 
gerous shams  321 

Plastered    interiors    essential...  252 

Plasterers'    grounds    328 

Plastering,    air-spaced     214 

Plastering    on    wooden    or    wire 

lath,    cost    per    yd 292 

Plastering  rounded  at  all  cor- 
ners   ". -.  .  321 

Plate    glass 297 

Plate    glass    essentials 146 

Plate    glass   wind   shields 215 

Plate    rack    239 

Plates     and     sills     with     halved 

joinings 316 

Platform,    brass    railed    207 

Platform,    iron    grated 234" 

Platform,    movable    270 

Playhouse     73 

Play  side  of  farming 73 

Playthings    of    orchard 47 

Pliny's    wonder   garden 208 

Plodding     dobbin     and     shanks' 

mare   lengthen   the   distance  338 

Plodding    Peggoty    23,  26 

Plodding   ploughman    19 

Ploughing,    sub-soil    21 

Ploughs    59 


Plum  tree    

Plumbing     !'.!!'. 

Plumbing  and  heating  "pipes 
carried  to  third  story  and 

Plumbing,   back-Wired'  •  iV 

J.  lumbing   contract    . 

Plumbing    fixtures     Zsi'sYf 

Plumbing-  fixtures  covered  with 
unsalted  tallow  . 

Plumbing,    open    . 

Plumbing:  Pipes  placed 'before 
floors  are  laid;  pipes  con- 
cealed in  wooden  pockets, 
closets  and  back  halls : 
Pipes  close  to  chimneys  and! 
if  possible,  away  from  out- 
iae  walls;  pipes  in  the 
main  run  perpendicularly  to 
cellar;  four-inch  tile  sewer 
Pipe  for  private  house 
.better  than  five  inch... 

Plumbing  shut-offs    200' 

Plumbing;  spells  common  sense 
and  is  easily  mastered  by 
a  layman  ..... 

Plumbing,  up  -  take  '  draught 
secured  by  having  sewage 

Plymouth    Heaarrbohr0t   Water   Pip6S 

Plymouth    Rock    '' 

Pneumonia  conducing"  atmos- 
phere   

Poacher-proof    wire    fence 

Poachings     

Poet's    corner    ....""" 
Poison  in  leaf  and  rootlet." 
Poison   ivy,   golden   red.. 
Poison  pokeweed 

Pokeholes    

Pokeholes    for    magazines!; 
Pokeweed,    poison 
Poland,    tufted    . . . 
Polecats     .... 

Poiien    !!!!!!!!! 

Pollen-carrying  insects    ! 

Polluted    waters,   avoiding 

Polygonum's  phenomenal  growth 

Pomologist    phased 

Pompeiian  wall   treatment!!!! 

Ponderous    dreadnought 

Pool     

Pool,    artificial    . . . ! ! 

Poor   timber,   getting   rid    of" 

Poorly  set  window  and  door 
frames  increase  heating  ex- 
pense   

"Poor  w.iii"  !!!!!!! ! 

Poplar,    anemophilous    ... 

Porcelain  safe  under  sink..!!!! 

Porch,  a  semi  -  conservatory 
entrance  

Porch  and  porch  room,  add  far 
more  than  their  cost... . 

Porch   ajid    veranda   comforts.. 

Porch    ceiling    . 

Porch,    outer,    side-settled.. 

Porch   radiators    

Porch,   roofed  feack 

Porch    room     134,  240,  244, 

Porch    room,    glass- enclosed .... 

Porch  room,  veranda,  bay,  and 
porte  cochSre  inappropri- 
ately painted  .....' 

Porch  room  with  beams  cross- 
ing a  cement  ceiling 

Porch  room  with  cemented  and 
beamed  ceiling  

Porch  room  with  indoor  effect.. 

Porch,   servants'    

Porch,    sleeping    

Porch  sleeping  room  extending 
into  tree  top 


53 

322 


330 
146 
292 
323 

323 

282 


322 
232 


323 


323 

261 

31 

235 

65 

45 

82 

98 

98 

98 

270 

228 

98 

31 

33 

79 

84 

282 

100 

51 

231 

291 

218 

245 

289 


324 
41 
81 

232 

312 

307 

247 
240 
277 
232 
251 
305 
232 


312 
310 

184 
239 
194 
295 

316 


400 


INDEX 


Porches  windowed,  settled, 
screened,  or  glassed  in.... 

Porta   la    Pinta 

Porta    san    Paola 

Portable  porch  matched  board 
horror  

Portcullis     

Porte  cochere    133, 

Porte   cochfire,    arched    

Porte    cochere    studio 

Possession  of  the  wild,  man's 
rightful  heritage  

Possum  insect    : 

Post    clamping    

Post  shell  of  chestnut  plank.  .  .. 

Postern   gate    

Posts  capped  with  plaster  heads 
crowned  with  lights 

Posts  wider  at  top   than  bottom 

Posy  of  childhood ~-' 

"Potash   paints   the   peach".... ;. 

Potato  bug    57 

Potato   patches    •  «* 

Poultry ..-.,,..-..• 

Poultry  profit,   the  way  out.... 

Poultry    yard    fence 

Powder,   gold  and  silver 

Powder  horn    

Powered  by  horse  or  gasoline.. 

Practical  plan  for  living  a  help- 
ful, healthy,  country  life... 

Praying  mantis   

Preachers  edged   the   bog 

Pressing,  electric    

Primeval  man    

Princeton    Tiger    

Prisoner    of    St.    Helena 

Privet  eighty  years  old   

Privet    globe-pointed    pedestals. 

Privet  in  leaf  until  Christmas.. 

Privet  posts  squared  and 
trimmed  as  true  as  blocks 
of  granite  

Privet  trimmed  as  an  ogee  curve 

Prize    brood    mare 

Prizes 

Prometheus'    boon    to    mankind. 

Pronounced  motifs    

Property  made  free  and  clear 
without  cutting  into  your 
capital  

Prophet's    chamber     222, 

Prospective  customers  like 
action 

Prosy   essential  sewing  corner.. 

Protection  of  door  and  window 
sills  

Provision  for  changes  in  con- 
tracts  

Pruning 

Pruning    evergreens    

Pruning  new   growth 

Pruning    saw     

Pueblo   of   the   Mexican 

Puff   adder    

Puling    infancy     

Pump    handle x 

Pump  with  salt  water  pipe  con- 
nection   

Punching   bag    

Puna    trespassers     

Puppy    chicken    poachers 

Purification    by    fire 

Purification    of    the    cellar. 

Puritan    mind    ;  .  .  .- 

Purling    brook    of   poet 

Putnam,   Israel    

Putnam's    ride     

Put's   Hill    


312 
82 
82 

312 

217 
305 
122 
159 

342 
93 
251 
144 
311 

281 

144 

8.7 

55 

93 

140 


11 
5 

221 
213 

340 

90 

100 

230 

90 

27 

88 

69 

335 

244 


335 

69 

19 

74 

232 

134 


339 
315 


339 
326 


297 

78 

8* 

79 

53 

299 

IfWl 

96 

9 

282 

122 

93 

27 

57 

338 

124 

222 

124 

124 

124 


Quail,    outwitting-  a 37 

Quaint   eoncei-ts-  tiresome.  ......    222 


Quaintness    vs.    beauty 257 

Quarrels    among    the    men 294 

Quarry-tiled    pier    207 

Queen   Anne   architecture 153 

Queen  Anne  of  far  away  Gothic 

parentage    300 

Queen  of  flowers 94 

Queen    of   Night 92 

Queen  post  set  on  a  solid  sup- 
port    306 

Quince    borer  •-.-..• 57 

Quince    curcu-lio    53 

Quoin,  buttress,  and  arch    173 

Quoins,    stalwart    294 

Rabbit  hutches 59 

Rabbits  15 

Racked  nerves  find  simple  life..  261 

Radiator,  boxed  in 236 

Radiator  drum 3 

Radiators,  concealed-  -..-.'.  .  '.'• 236 

Radiators,  enameled  wall 236 

Radiators  •  ied  •  wi-th  air  through 

grilles  i-n  stair  risers 236 

Radiators  -i-n  Pinnacle 236 

Radiators  planned  for  but  not 

installed  321 

Radiators,  porch  -.  • 232 

Radiators,  ugly  236 

Radish  growth  improved  by  salt  340 

Radium  , .  . 51 

Rafter  and  pergol.a  ends  the 

same  design 31 G 

Rafter  curve  of  six  inches  254 

Rafter  roof,  kick-up . , 254 

Rafters  extra  strong  for  .tile 

roofing 314 

Rafters  used  for  holding  hooks  229 

Rail,  mahogany  270 

Railing  broken  by  stone  post 

supports  . 152 

Rain  water  unaerated  . 7 

Ram,  double  action  11 

Ramp 220 

Ramp,  Colonial  326 

Rana's  cheery  peep 99 

Range  ash  flue 223 

Range  boiler  gas  heated 223 

Range  boiler  hung  from  ceiling  281 

Range  boiler  safety  valve 223 

Range  chimney  gives  flue  ven- 
tilation    235 

Range,  combination  coal,  gas 

and  electric 223 

Range  hood  of  glass 193,  223 

Range,  inset  2 

Range  laid  stone  307 

Ransre  thermometer  223 

Rapids 71 

Rapids,  artificial  245 

Rapids,  man-made  244 

Rapids,  rock-strewn  140 

Rare  finger  pincher 277 

Raspberries  .  .• 57 

Raspberry  borer  57 

Rat  and  vermin-proof 224 

Ratification  of  contract,  written  288 
Rat-proof  at  sill  and  plate  line 

with  grouting  310 

Rats  33 

Rats  of  the  air 37 

Rats  of  the  water  208 

Ravine  71,  239 

Razor  back  pigs  31 

Real  instead  of  imitation  in 

woods  327 

Realm  of  glamored  antique....  238 

Recesses  238 

Recreation  gaps 75 

Red  admiral  94 

Red  Astrachans  .  53 


INDEX 


401 


Ked  birch  sometimes  difficult 
to  distinguish  from  mahog- 
any, and  far  less  expensive  327 

Red    birch    trim 281 

Red  birch  more  durable  than 
oak  under  foot,  yet  decays 

rapidly   in   the   weather 306 

Red    ears     33 

Red-eyed    vireo     47 

Red-hot-poker    plant    82 

Red    letter   days 1 

Red  peppers   221 

Redstarts     45 

Red    Towers    152,   249 

Reed   bird    41 

Reef   strewn   channel 304 

Refrigerator     ; 223 

Refrigerator,    built-in     224 

Refrigerator  drainage    11 

Refrigerator  drainage   pipe 224 

Regal   moth    93 

Registers  in  a  clearance 236 

Registers,   side   wall    236 

Reincarnation    47 

Reinforced        cement       platform 

with   twisted   mesh   screen..    321 
Reinforced  cement  used  in  steps 

and    loggia 309 

Relic  of  mediaeval  times 222 

Relieving   nervous   strain 96 

Renaissance,    French    212 

Renaissance,   Italian    212 

Rendezvous  for  land  sailors....  230 
Replicas  of  Italian,  French  or 

Dutch   Renaissance    300 

Reredos    embossed   with   coat    of 

arms 233 

Reservoir  for  ram    11 

Responsibility,   shouldering    ....    293 

Rest    and    inspiration 134 

Rest    room    a   necessity 124 

Restcliff    252 

Restful  green  and  restless  red.  241 
Retreat  from  southwest  winds.  239 
Revival  of  the  Renaissance  of 

France  and  Italy 300 

Revolutionary  War    261 

Revolver,  picture-screened  ....  226 
Revolver  placed  under  pillow..  226 

Rewards   of  merit 74 

Rheumatism    breeder    248 

Rheumatism    breeding   basement   331 

Rheumatism  deterrent   248 

Rhizome    separation    79 

Rhode   Island   Greenings    49 

Rhode   Island   Reds 31 

Rhubarb  in  headless  and  foot- 
less barrels  *  99 

Ribbon    of   velvety    green 239 

Rich    and    independent    farmer..    337 

Ridge    board     248 

Ridge   fire  pipe 332 

Rights    of   owner,    architect   and 

contractor     289 

Rights    of    way 65 

Ripon  Abbey   yew 102 

Riser  height  seven   inches    326 

Risers    of    translucent    glass    in 

front   steps   and    back   stairs   113 
Rivaling  the  two  blade  of  grass 

numan     298 

River,  brook  and  pool 212 

River,   swirling   140 

Road   widening    53 

Roads    and    gutters 69 

Roads  curving  at  easy  gradient  213 
Roads  foundationed  with  closely 

cut  turf   213 

Roads    non-gullied     69 

Roads,    rutty,    scratch-gravel...      6~ 

Roads,    stone    ballasted    15 

Roadway  from  sty  to  farm  tab'e  31 
Roadway,  verdure-arched  ....63,  77 


Robins    

Rock  and   gravel   treads 

Rockery     

Rock-ribbed   coast   of  Maine.... 

Rock-strewn   corners    

Rock,  volcanic  -  veined  and 
lichen-rifted  

Rocky    coast    

Rocky,  weed-grown  hillock   .... 

Rodding  and  turnbuckling  limbs 

Rodent,   barring   of 

Rodents  balked  by  stones  em- 
bedded in  cement 

Rogers'    seedlings    

Roi    faineant    

Roman  arch    

Roman    God's    acres 

Romanesque  of  the  eleventh  and 
twelfth  centuries  

Romeo  of  the  insect  world 

Roof  and  foundation  big  factors 
in  cost  of  exterior  construc- 
tion   

Roof  and   towers  of   tile 

Roof  boarded  with  T.  &  G.  stuff 

Roof  contours,  the  architect's 
sacrificial  altar  and  sacred 
fetich  

Roof   dormer    

Roof  drenching  gives  fine  fire 
protection  

Roof,    expense   of 

Roof,    expensive    

Roof  garden   

Roof    groined     

Roof    house    of    one    room 

Roof,  if  inartistically  high, 
should  be  dragged  down  by 
wide  overhang  

Roof   inspection    

Roof    lookout     

Roof  lookout  railed  back  of 
chimney  

Roof  of  roofs  for  space,  the 
gambrel  

Roof  skylight  an  inartistic  pro- 
truberance  concealed  behind 
chimney  

Roof,    sloping    

Roof,   tile  hipped   shingle 

Roof,   tile    ridge    shingle 

Roof,    tiled    

Roof,    tiled    and    copper   flashed. 

Roof,    toboggan    

Roof  trees  for  commuters    

Roof,   windowed    

Roof  with  few  valleys  and 
angles  

Roof   with    plain   pitch    cheapest 

Roofed   verandas    

Roofing   tile    

Roofs  and   gutters,   cleaning   of. 

Roofs,   curved   thatch 

Room-in-the    air     

Room  of  arches,  columns  and 
mirrors  

Room  on  the  roof 

Room    of    comfort 

Room  over  kitchen  deadened 
and  chimney  air-spaoed  to 
bar  kitchen  heat  

Rooms  at  different  levels 

Rooms,    corner    

Rooms  for  attendants   of  guests 

Rooms,    gala,    6.000    sq.    ft 

Rooms   in    proportion 

Rooms,    large   attic 

Rooms,   misleading    20x30 

Rooms  planned  for  most  con- 
venient furnishing  

Rooms   which  are   life   memories 

Rosarium     


37 

22 

22 

157 

21 

160 

215 

63 

84 

92 

308 
55 

242 

329 

82 

299 
93 


330 
118 
314 


318 
183 


332 
292 
113 
315 
217 
315 


330 
199 
132 

199 
110 


315 
254 
142 
142 
245 
118 

104 
215 

330 
305 
251 
140 
9 

142 
234 

184 

315 

3 


309 
130 
133 
122 
18" 
240 
110 
138 


402 


INDEX 


Rose    bugs    55,   57,   84 

Rose    gardens    211 

Rose-screened    arbors     243 

Roses    243 

Ross    cutter    19 

Rough  and  ready  shelters 15 

Rough    cement    conceals    inevit- 
able   cracks 213 

Round  Meadow    35 

Round   taSIe  gave  added  space.  159 

Roup     33 

Rovers    243 

Rowing   machine    122 

Roxbury    russets    49 

Royal  oedigree   of  the  fields....  89 

Rubber  mats    231 

Rubber     plugs      inset     in      door 

frames    235 

Rubber  tipped  furniture 235 

Rubble   cement    254 

Ruby,    gorget-throated    hummer  47 

Rug  slipping  prevention 5 

Rug,    white    bear   skin 240 

Rugs,   rag    5 

Rule   of   thumb 294 

Rules,  copper  fastened   287 

Run  of  building  fever 1 

Running    water    noises    stopped.  236 
Rural  instinct  dormant  in  man- 
kind      

Rural   restfulness   vanished.... 

Rustic    log    seat 

Rustic    stone   work 

Sabbath   stillness    234 

Safe      artificial      vs.      dangerous 

picturesque 243 

Safe,  jewel,  set  between  studs..    227 
Safeguarding     against     building 

errors    295 

Safety     in     the     architect     who 

really  knows    300 

Safety   sacrificed    to    picturesque   207 
Safety     vault     liquid     explosive- 
proof     224 

Sagging   gate    fastening 61 

Sahara    in   July   and   August....    239 
Sailors,   salt  and   fresh   water...    277 

Sails    282 

St.   Peter's    Cathedral 237 

Saint-seducing    gold 41 

Salad   days    1 

Salamander    inspection    297 

Salamanders,    defective    214 

Salamanders,      lung      breathing, 

four   legged    100 

Salary   of   manager 292 

Samplers    251 

Sand   barge   on   flats 290 

Sand  bluffs  of  Oyster  Bay 135 

Sand  dunes  fertilized 74 

Sand   for   quenching   fires 332 

Sand,   late   delivery   of 290 

Sand    lighter    291 

Sand,  the  best  sharp  and   gritty, 
unsmoothed        by        rushing 

water    318 

Sandalwood    trees    312 

Sandy    soil    73 

Sanitary  angle   toilet 231 

Sanitary    base     229,   327 

Sanitary   cement    base 310 

Sanitary    two-foot   rise   and    fall  273 

San    Jos6    scale 49 

Sap    banquet    47 

Saphrophytic   fungi   plants 21 

Sapphire   mail    94 

Sapsucker,    red-headed     47 

Sash,   wrong  size   of 290 

Sassafras    57 

Saturday   night   accounting 297 

Saturday  payment  used   to  start 

another   job    290 


Saturday    payments 288 

Saving  a  few  dollars 289 

Saving,  losing,  or  making  a  for- 
tune         303 

Saving  nerves  and   floors 235 

Saving   of   wages 294 

Savings    bank    loans 1 

Sawbuck    sheep    hurdles 243 

Sawdust-packed  doors  and  sides  223 

Saw    fly's    splitting    saw 92 

Saxon   bower   room    222 

Saxon  exterior  wall  decoration.    169 

Saxon   hall    222 

Saxon-thane  dais    222 

Scagliola    225 

Scales,   white   enamel    231 

Scalloped  pie  crust  imitation...  213 
Scantling  for  kick-up  curve....  257 
"Scarce  any  plant  is  growing 

here"      97 

Scarlet  lightning    97 

Scarlet    tanager    39 

Schedule    building    time 291 

Science  testing  guinea  pigs  and 

monkeys     303 

Score    cards    17 

Scrap  books    63 

Scraper,    dirt       59 

Scraper  two   centuries   old 161 

Screen  with  patent  insect  escape   216 

Screening    service    portion 252 

Screens     228 

Screens,    convex    215 

Screens,    non-rusting    216 

Screens    of    invisible   wire...  216,   224 

Scrub   brush   receptacle 223 

Scuttle    entrance    for    coal 224 

Scythe,    death-dealing    100 

Sea    Boulders    iron    anchored    in 

ledge     274 

Sea     grasses     grown     in     stone 

crevices     204 

Sea    green    glass    wicket 277 

Sea,    restless    211 

Seamless    ledge     270 

Seasoned    water    dog 203 

Sea-weed-clad    rocks    203 

Seat,    chain-hung     219 

Seat  of  galvanized  wire  mesh.  .  .    239 

Seats    half   circled 218 

Seats    of    cement 214 

Seats,     verdure     canopied 243 

Seckle    pear    47 

Seckle  standard  in  pear  king- 
dom    103 

Second    story    conservatory 326 

Second  story,   cost  of 257 

Secret    room,    5x8x9 229 

Seed-grown    trees    86 

Seed    pop-corn     221 

Seed    sorting    22 

Seedling,    wild    apple 49 

Seedlings    for   spring   planting.  .    248 

Seeds     35 

Seeds    franked    by    Congressman   103 

Seeds,   mummy-wrapped    82 

Seeds,   new    73 

Seeking  an   Eldorado   near   by..    339 

Seek-no-furthers     49 

Segmented  ceiling  of  dining- 
room  329 

Selecting    the    site 328 

Sell  before  building  rather  than 
label  your  purchase  a  mis- 
take    301 

Selling   points   more   in  evidence 

than  essential  fundamentals   327 

Selling    the    property 330 

Semi-bungalow     150,   252 

Semi-conservatory    130 

Semi-ravine    22 

Semi-sitting   room   for  help 63 

Semi-tropical    corner    94 


INDEX 


403 


Semi-wild  mid-summer  garden 
jungle  of  flowers  and  vines, 

glass-imprisoned     311 

Senator  Vest    27 

Sensitive   plant,   shrinking 89 

Sentinel    junipers     212 

Sepal     79 

Septic    tank    13 

Sequoias   over    5,000   years   old..  102 

Servants'    bath    152 

Servants'   dining-room    224 

Servants'   ell   pergola-screened.  .  239 

Servants'    fourth    floor 146 

Servants'    hall     224 

Servants'   room    247 

Servants'     room     with     sanitary 

base     239 

Servants'  suites  in  ell 121 

Service  gate   243 

Servitors,    tongue-tied    13 

Set  basin  banished  from  sleep- 
ing rooms  323 

Set  basins  with  side  wall  in- 
stead of  floor  connection...  323 

Settle    218 

Settle   in   stone  ledge 132 

Settle,   leather   trimmed 130,  183 

Settlers'    cabin    261 

Settles,  side    234 

Settles,    stone    124 

Settles,   veranda    239 

Seven-hued    driftwood    blaze....  242 
Seven     levers  —  Hollow     brick, 
terra  cotta,  cement,  galvan- 
ized   iron    lath,    wire    glass, 

steel   I-beams  and   tar 306 

Seventeen   year   locusts    94 

Seven-toned   wall   picture 320 

Seventh  century  the  nadir  of  the 

human    mind    300 

Sewage    control    13 

Sewaging   in   open   water 13 

Sewer    gas    13 

Sewer  pipe  back  air  outlet 
away  from  window  open- 
ings, well  above  ridge 323 

Sewers    of    Rome 22 fi 

Sewing  room    230 

Sewing   room,   south 5 

Shack  camp    65 

Shackdom    252 

Shaft,  rail-protected    226 

Shafts    61 

Shafts     of     light     through     pin 

holes     281 

Shagbark's   slivered   hickory....  80 

Shampoo  fixtures    231 

Shaving  jogs    231 

Shaving   mirrors,    triplicate 231 

Sheathing      selected      for      third 

story    floor    315 

Sheep    58 

Sheep  heads  249 

Sheep  Hill  63 

Sheep   pasture    84 

Shellbarks     58 

Shell-lined   house   tomb 208 

Shell,    Oriental    233 

Sheltered  and  sunny  nook 243 

Sheltering    walls    of    a    Windsor 

or  a  Hohenzollern    299 

Shelves,  drop    2 

Shelves,   hanging    224 

Shelves,    slate    2 

Shingle   decay    313 

Shingle    lath     254 

Shingle    roofs    142 

Shinerle  laths   over  clapboards..  140 

Shina-ie    roofs,    seven   coursed...  142 

Shingle,    toothed     314 

Shingle       treatment,       odd,       in 

gables     313 

Shingle    weatherage    214 


Shingle  work  in  diamond  panel 
and  grosser  outrage  in  color 

design    in    slate 313 

Shingled    interiors    out    of    place   324 
Shingles   fasten   better  with   cut 

nails    313 

Shingles      laid      with      different 

weatherage     142 

Shingles  nailed   to  shingle   laths   314 
Shingles,    narrow,    mean    tighter 

roof    313 

Shingles,  odd  effects  in 314 

Shingles  of  asbestos  and  cement  214 

Shingles,  red  cedar 214 

Shingles,    rotting   of 214 

Shingles,   single    nailing    of 313 

Shingles,    stain-dipped    313 

Shingles,    unpainted   the   best...    313 

Shingles    vs.    thatch 313 

Shingles,     white     cedar 214 

Shore    Rocks    200 

"Shot  heard  round  the  world"..    217 

Shot-hole    fungi    53 

Shotes     17 

Shower  bath    192,  231 

Shower    curtain    canvas 231 

Shower      for     golf     and      tennis 

devotee     331 

Shower  jog  in  bathroom  be- 
tween two  closets,  shower 

and  needle  bath 322 

Shower,  outdoor    282 

Shower  room    146 

Shower   shield,   glass 231,   323 

Shrinking  one's   bank   account..    301 

Shrub    propagation    69 

Shrub    section    82 

Shrubbery,     preventing     damage 

to    243 

Shrubs,    early    81 

Shrubs    in    tree    form 94 

Shut-offs    labeled     232,282 

Shutter,  the  Colonial  crescent- 
eye  peep  327 

Shutters,      paneled      or      slatted, 

folded  into  side  pockets...  327 
Shutting  off  stairways  from  fire  332 
Shutting  out  breeze  and  view..  247 

Side-hilling    house     274,   307,   331 

Side   porch  alcove   for  milk 224 

Side   walls,   belting    140 

Sidewalk   widening    51 

Siding   of    white    wood    boards..    140 

Silhouettes    251 

Silk  and  satin,  use  of 241 

Silk  worm   breeding 37 

Sill     cocks    arrd     extra     faucets 

about    the    grounds 322 

Sill-decaying   leaves    9 

Sill-laying     290 

Silo     " 1,   15 

Silo  weighting  or  non-weight- 
ing    74 

Sills   set   in  cement 248 

Silver  melodies  from  rustling 
tree  top,  copse  and  wood- 
land    342 

Silver   spur  hastens   completion.    306 
Simplifving   building   a   hundred 

fold" 306 

Singing-  birds  and  winter  sun- 
shine    295 

Single    block    steps 216 

"Sings      the      blackened      log     a 

tune"     173 

Sink   of  porcelain   in  pantry....    194 

Sink,    planished    copper    144 

Sinks,    high    2 

Sinks  set  six  inches  higher  than 

usual     223 

Sir   Bruin's    bog    onion    breath.. 

Sir    Reynard     

Siren  heralding  circus    99 


INDEX 


Siren   in   apple   orchard 120 

Siskin    47 

Site  injured  by  poor  landscaping-  304 

Site    makes    or    ruins 51 

Sitfast  fought  for  standing'  room      98 

Sitting-room    for    maids 194 

Sitting-room    hall    225 

Situation    beggars    description..    289 

Sitz    bath     2oi 

Sizing-    of    timber 3i5 

Skating    rink    31,   247 

Skies   of  Japan 101 

Skimble    scamble    devices 2 

Skunk   cabbage,  cowl-crowned..      81 

Skunk  insect   92 

Skylight      215.   234,   314 

Skylight,    kitchen     198 

Skylight    over-head    and    under- 
foot        31E 

Skylight,    wired    glass 154 

Sky    ranging-    234 

Sky   Rock    132 

Slag   treated    with    steam 236 

"Slated      ugliness,"      Tennyson's 

dislike    for    118 

Slathers    of    ornamentation 302 

Slaug-hter   of   innocents 35 

Sled,   stone    59 

Sleeping  porches.  ..  135,  197,   228,   295 

Sleeping-    rooms     227 

Sleeping    rooms    showing-    hospi- 
tal   ward    simplicity 317 

Sleeping   rooms   without   plants.        5 
Sleepless    arch    is    best    made    of 

stone,   brick   or   cement 310 

Sleepless    varmint    32 

Sleepy    Hollow    Valley 26 

Slender     sticks     used     to     make 

changes   in  plans 329 

Sliding-  door  pockets  lined 189 

Slow    burning    construction 303 

"Small  choice  in  rotten  apples".    289 

Small   fruits    55 

Smokehouse    31 

Smoker's    paradise     99 

Smouldering     wood      vs.     crum- 
bling   cement     302 

Snake,   black    100 

Snake    eggs    100 

Snake,    garter    100 

Snakedom      101 

Snakes '  \      34 

Snakes,    milk    100 

Snakes   vs.    young   robins 100 

Snap   shots    73 

Snap    shots    of    building 110 

Snapping  turtle    59,   71 

Snares,   wire  and  horse  hair....      65 

Snout    beetle    93 

Snow    apples    40 

Snow   buntings    43 

Snow   line    vs.    rose    garden 211 

Snow    men     73 

Snow    to    fence    top 43 

Snow    tunneling    43 

Snuffed-out    candle    237 

Soapstone    collar    243 

Sod-roofed    dugout     302 

Soffits       under       eaves,       cement 

finish   310 

Soil    benofitting     21 

Soil    redemption    212 

Solarium,      beamed      and      wain- 
scoted          239 

Solomon's    Temple    251 

Solving  childhood's    problems...      61 
"Some   happy   creature's   palace"     89 

Song   sparrow    37 

Songless    bird    47 

Sound,    arm    of 273 

Sound   -   carrying      cement      and 

metal     308 


Sound    controlled    through    par- 
titions   and    flours 317 

South    fronts    228 

Space   utilized    2 

Sphagnum,    mossy    peat 100 

Spanning    a    century 118 

Spar  varnish    282 

Spare   the  shears,   spoil   the   tree     86 

Sparrows      45 

Speaking    tubes    13 

Spectral   rider   outridden 9 

Speed-crazed    Lightning-    2t> 

Spendthrift    enthusiast    73 

spider,  carniverous    92 

Spider's     web     gauze     of     baby's 

breath     97 

Spillway     71 

Spiny  hair  protection    92 

Spiny-haired    caterpillar 91 

Spires    57 

Spirit-leveled    billiard    table....    331 

Spitz    dog-face    pansies 81 

Spitzenbergs,    winter    53 

Splitting    raindrops     69 

Sports 73 

Spot    3,   22,   25,   31 

Spouts    9,   37 

Spread-nets  for  insects 55 

Spreading    the   spindler 83 

Spring   awakening    of   Flora....      81 

Spring  grazing    21 

Spring    water    11 

Springs  that  bottomed  fore- 
court pool  245 

Sprouts,    suckering    83 

Spruce   floors   curl   and   sliver...    306 

Squabs    243 

Square  and   rectangle   the    house   305 
Square    cupola-crowned    country 

house    300 

Square  house  cheapest,  roomi- 
est, homeliest  305 

Squared   ugliness    329 

Squash   court    245 

Squirrel    cages    59 

Squirrel   house,  wire    59 

Squirt   guns    53 

Stacks   must   be   perpendicular..    323 

Stain,    mahogany    281 

Stain  uninjured  by  dust,  friction 

or   blow    327 

Stained   glass,   copper  set 277 

Stair  alcove  concealed 325 

Stair    balcony,    overhanging....    197 
Stair,      broad      steamer,      eating 

well     into     hall     area 325 

Stair     building     problems 325 

Stair    carpet    rods 227 

Stair    corridor    screened 225 

Stair,  cut-string,  used  in  cot- 
tage and  bungalow 326 

Stair  falls  prevented  by  mid- 
stair  platforms,  absence  of 
winders  and  ample  head 

room    326 

Stair  gate,  metal   folding 226 

Stair    hall,    third    story 183 

Stair,    hidden    220 

Stair  landing,  forty-foot  ceiling.    144 
Stair,  limb  breaker  and  weather 

shelterer    254 

Stair,   makeshift    247 

Stair    mathematics     326 

Stair    mid-height    platform 225 

Stair    opening   moved 295 

Stair    partitions    of    glass 216 

Stair    platform     295 

Stair  protected  by  brass  stand- 
ard and  silken  ro»e 183 

Stair   protected    by   settle 183 

Stair  rail    height   3   feet   6  inches   326 

Stair    rail    of   mahogany 134 

Stair   rail,    stalking    lion 179 


INDEX 


Stair  risers  of  6%   inches 2G1 

Stair  soffit  curved  to  the  floor.  .  183 

Stair  step  height .526 

Stair,    the    undesirable 326 

Stair   to    potting   room 154 

Stair    tower    14'j 

Stair    window    seat 329 

Staircase,    cedar-railed     257 

Staircase,  circular,  of  marble...  312 
Staircase,.       close       string       the 

richest    in    appearance 326 

Staircase,    grilled     194 

Staircase   hall    225 

Staircase    hall    often    makes    or 

mars    a    house 325 

Staircase   hall,   twenty-five-foot.  172 

Staircase,    mediaeval     118 

Staircase    tower,    forty-foot 146 

Staircase,    twelve    feet    wide....  142 

Stairs,   avoidance    of    winders...  295 

Stairs  avoiding  a  window 295 

Stairs,    enclosed    back 226 

Stairs    back    of    chimney 138 

Stairs,    iron    234 

Stairs,    palm    protected 225 

Stairs,   plant  decorated    225 

Stairs,   sameness  avoided    183 

Stairs     should     not     link     front 

door  with  bathroom 326, 

Stairway,    closed     attic 2 

Stairway,    circular     129 

Stairway  closets    229 

Stairway  well  lighted  an  essen- 
tial       327 

Stairways,   broad    252 

Stairways,    cramped    5 

Stakes,    financial     287 

Staking   out    the    house 211 

Stalking    lion    guard    rail 179 

Stamen     79 

Stamp    collection    7 

Stand    lamps,    electric 2.°.? 

Standardizing    points    in    houses  304 

Standing    back    of    builder 295 

Standpipe   for  fire   hose .  2S2 

Star  and   aphis 90 

Star-gazing    ....                       34 

Star    of    Bethlehem 97 

Starlings,   flute-voiced    37 

Stars   in   butterfly   field 94 

Statuary     218 

Statue    and    vase,    Italian    adap- 
tation  of    217 

Stealing     a     bathroom     from     a 

barn-like    room     329 

Steam      heating,      low      pressure 

system    323 

Steam    heating    plant 236 

Steam   pipes  and   charred   wood.  323 
Steam     pipes     and     spontaneous 

combustion    323 

Steamer    stair    design 121 

Steel    edge     of    woodsman     and 

point   of   ploughman 301 

Steel-tipped    furniture    235 

Steel    traps     65 

Steep  wooded   incline 140 

Steers     19 

Step    ladder,    railed 133 

Step-up    window    tread    234 

Steps    cut    from    a    single    block 

of  stone    219 

Steps    hinged    against    wall 247 

Steps    of    cement 132,  21.4 

Steps  of  railway  ties 22 

Steps,    stone    ledge,    for    bathing 

and    landiner     208 

Steps,   tiled,   'mid   rough   rocks..  207 

Steps    twenty    feet    wide 172 

Stercorary.   screeniner  of 100 

Stereotyped  construction 305 

Sterilizine-    surroundings     333 

Stewart,   Robert,    of   Gloucester.  221 


Stick    pin    colony 93 

Stigma    79 

Stilted    life    that    strains 251 

Stingers      'j;>, 

Stock   and   extras   in   buying   the 

farm    341 

Stolen    closet    27V 

Stolen   hay   crop    21 

Stone    a    dust    collector 324 

Stone  and  cement  drying  out  an 

essential     330 

Stone  and  cement  work,  orna- 
mental    252 

Stone    ballasted    roads 15 

Stone    binders     through    a     wall 

need    extra    tarring     307 

Stone,     brick     and     terra     cotta 

blocks  so  much  per  foot.  202,   307 

Stone   bungalow    274 

Stone  chimney  a  dust  collector 
and  dismal  failure  save  in 
bungalow,  den,  or  porch 

room    319 

Stone   chimney    breast   target...    122 

Stone   drain    248 

Stone   house  vs.  dampness 274 

Stone   Japanese   gods    244 

Stone    mason,    skilled    Italian...    105 
Stone  partitions  out  of  place...    324 

Stone    pier    207 

Stone   rampart  rail    203 

Stone    roofs    by    our    Hibernian 

thatcher     314 

Stone  settles    124 

Stone    so    much    per   yard 292 

Stone     underdrained     ditch     for 

leaders    318 

Stone    walks,    single,    unsafe....    243 

Stone    walls 15 

Stone,  weather  beaten  and 
cracked,  suitable  only  for 
underdraining  land  and  road  308 
Stone  -work,  boulder  laid  up 
rustic,  cement  bedded 
rubble,  coursed  or  random, 
broken  ashler-random-face, 
or  smooth  cut  quarry  laid  in 

range  form 307 

Stonehenge    130 

Stoneless    land     152 

Stonycrest.  before  we  set  shrub- 
bery, buttressed  wall, 
double  chimney  of  selected 
stone,  picture  window  and 

stone  work Ill 

Stop     valve      in      preference      to 

tank    231 

Stoppage  in  pipes  prevented....    323 
Stopping      fourth       story       floor 

beams    for    balcony 183 

Storage   locker    220 

Storage    pantry     

Storage    room    194 

Stored-up    sunshine     100 

"Storehouse      medicine      of      the 

mind"    219 

Storeroom    254 

Storm   King    129 

Storm    warders    228 

Storm    windows   in   side   porch..    232 

Storms  that  rack  and   rock 129 

Strainer    of   galvanized    iron....    282 

Strand    of   sand    and    cliff 157 

Stratford-on-Avon    82 

Straw  matting  for  hot-beds 248 

Strawberries,    wild    55 

Strawberry,     fall     fruiting 103 

Strikes    288 

String  piece  metal-beaded 121 

Stringers    against    chimney 214 

"Striving  to  better  oft   we  mar"     13 
Stroll   path    89 


406 


INDEX 


Structural    beauty    242 

Struggling,   warring  insect  life.      94 
Strutting   of  timbers   imperative   315 

Stucco   cracks    161 

Stucco    on    steel    lathing 140 

Stucco  on  wooden  lath 140 

Stucco  over  lath  not  so  durable 

as   over  hollow   brick 309 

Stucco  on  eight-inch  centres  and 

V-irons  gives  air  space 309 

Stucco-sided    house     118 

Stucco  three-coat  work 161 

Stud   crippling  midway   between 
floor  and  ceiling  braces,  ties, 

and   stops    fire    draught 317 

Studding  extra  size  2x6  and  3x4   316 

Studding1     well     toe-nailed 316 

Studio    beamed    to    ridge 197 

Studio    den     241,282 

Study  in  shades  of  white 240 

Study    table    237 

Stump   grubber    59 

Style    79 

Sub-arctic    plants     95 

Sub-contractors     295 

Sub-rock    foundation    274 

Sub-soil    upheaval    59 

Succulent   growth,   watering   of.      79 

Suet  luncheon    243 

Summer    kitchen    yielding    sum- 
mer   comfort    339 

Summer   rental    58 

Sun  and   rain  mighty   factors   in 

climb    toward    independence   340 

Sun    bathroom     227 

Sundews,    viscous-deluged    99 

Sun    dial,    ancient    type 208 

Sun   dial   from   Olde   England...    244 
Sun    dial    motto,    "It    is    always 
morning    somewhere    in    the 

world"     208 

Sun  dial   time   equation 208 

Sun    dial,    wall,    motto-circled..    133 

Sun-exposed    wires    69 

Sunflower    diet    33 

Sunken    garden    217,  243 

Sunlight,      companionship,      care 

and  air    215,   295 

Sun  of  twenty -year  farming  day 

sank   below   the   horizon....    104 

Sun    or    shade,    as    desired .......    251 

Sun    reflection   on   red   tiled   ver- 
anda  roof    .  .    314 

Sun   room    227 

Sun   room   on   second    story   bal- 
cony         320 

Survival    of    fittest 55,   90 

Suspension  bridge    71 

Swallow    tail    94 

Swallows    35 

Swamp   lowland    245 

Swamp    oak    57 

Swamp    reclaimed    140 

Sweet  corn,   black 102 

Sweet   fern   thicket 

Sweet  potatoes    102 

Swifts,    bow-winged    45 

Swimming    pool    200,   213,   225 

Swinging    compass     from    north 

to    south    144 

Swinging      shutter      of      colored 

glass     215 

Swivel-elbow-knuckle-bar       and 

chain-snap-fastening    241 

Sycamore,   the    57 

Sylvan  dell    245 

Sylvan    forest    scene 193 

Symmetric?.!  roof  as  four  to  six- 
teen        305 

Sympathy  for  millionaire 96 

Systematic  inspection  by  mason, 

carpenter  and   plumber 302 


Table,    monastery    sawbuck 5 

Tadpole,    gill-breathing    stage..  100 
Tangled  forest  and   rock-strewn 

field    301 

Tanglefoot    74,   93 

Tank,    high    flush 231 

Tank,  planished  and  copper- 
lined  3 

Tanks,    siphon-connected    13 

Tapestries     on     stair     rail     and 

wall     242 

Tar     212 

Tar  vs.  ground  air  and  damp- 
ness    305 

Tares    vs.    grain 55 

Tarradiddler'.s    yarn    45 

Taurus    17 

Tax   on  air  and  sunshine 215 

Tax   rates    289 

Tea  house    239 

Tea  plant 102 

Tearing  out  unsatisfactory  work  142 

Telescope    34,  234 

Ten     or     fifteen    per    cent,     hold 

back    288 

Tender   plants    89 

Ten-room  house  for  $3,000 150 

Ten    to    fifteen    per    cent,    added 

for    possible    changes 293 

Tenant    on    own    domain 58 

Tennis  court  skating  rink......  22 

Tennis    screen,    wire 22 

Tent    caterpillars     91 

Tent   life,   damp   and    dark 251 

Tent   on   the    beach 341 

Terra    cotta     142,  303 

Terrace,    brick   tiled    239 

Terrace   held   by   honeysuckle...  22 

Terrace    of    cement 239 

Terrace    terrazzo-paved     305 

Testers,    canopied     f» 

Testing  standpipe,  ladder  rais- 
ing, etc 332 

Testing    stone    homes    for   cattle 

vs.     wooden     shelters 303 

Tests   of  a   house 242 

Thane  and  yokel,  ignorance  of..  230 
Thatch    roof    imitated    in    wood 

by  seven   shingle  lappings..  313 
Thatched     buildings     condemned 
and    re-roofed    with    shingle 

or    tile     313 

Thatched    cocoons    91 

Thatched     roofs,    England's    fire 

law    against     313 

"The    world    is    too    much    with 

us"     96 

Theban    tomb     82 

Theban  mantel   decoration 233 

Thermostats    236 

Thieves   balked    225 

Thimbles  and   stoppers   in  cellar 

and    garret   a   convenience.  .  319 
Thinning   bunch  and  cluster....  55 
Third       floor      spells      difference 
between     comfort    and     dis- 
comfort      330 

Thirty-four  thousand  to  five 
hundred  thousand  dollar  in- 
crease in  value  :-;37 

Thomas      Prence,      Governor     of 

Plymouth  Colony    51 

Thousand    Islands    211 

Three  motifs  in  bungalow  ex- 
terior    254 

"Three    whoops,    a    holloa   and   a 

holler"    212 

Thrift-driven    Yankee    251 

Throated  mantel   hood    233 

Throne   of  the   fire   king   centres 

his  group   of  devotees 311 

"Through    this   wide    open    gate"  243 

Thrush    41 


INDEX 


407 


308 


Tie   and    pole   forestry 59 

Tiger    beetle     93 

Tiger   tail    94 

Tile   capping   working   loose....    316 

Tile,   fireproof    214 

Tile  flues  essential  in  stone 
chimneys;  all  crevices 
should  be  thoroughly 

cemented    319 

Tile,  hollow  brick  corrugated..  213 
Tile  of  windmills  and  luggers.  2 

Tile,    quarry     169 

Tile    roofs     302,   314 

Tile    ridged    and    hipped 1 

Tiled    court     220 

Tiling,  set  in  cement  laid  on 
earth,  drags  moisture  to  the 
surface;  deep  cement  foun- 
dation and  draining  neces- 
sary   

"Till    fell    the    frost    from    clear 

cold   heaven"    102 

Timber  construction  substantial  310 
Timber  cutting  and  tenoning..  318 
Timber  essential  safe-guards..  316 

Timber    protection     236 

Timber,   shaky   and   soggy 289 

Timbered  stucco 140 

Timbering   and    framing 31o 

Timbering  as  represented  by 
scantling,  purlin,  wall  and 
roof  plates,  must  be  free 

from    shakes    315 

Time,  cornering  elusive 297 

Time    data    mixed...., 290 

Time-forfeiture    money    clause.. 

288,   290 
Time     rather     than     season     for 

pruning    78 

Time,    -waste    of    289 

Tin,  painting  back  and   front  of  315 

Tiny  Cote,  cost  of 2Ri 

Title  guarantee  policy 287 

Toad,  domesticated    2 

Tobacco  stem  burning 248 

Toboggan  slides    73 

To    build    or    not    to    build,    the 

question     2«9 

Toddlers'    garden    61 

Toggery  closet    229 

Toilet  and  bath  separated 231 

Toilet      fixtures      noiseless      and 

non-siphoning    322.. 

Toilet      safeguard      shut-off      in 

bathrooms     322 

Tomato    -worm     93 

Tool   room    146,  225 

Tools,    new    fangled 73 

Tooth    of    time    fanged    into    our 

portable    houses    257 

Topiary  art,  examples   of 67 

Top   notchers 27 

Topsy,  that  mare  of  mares 

15,   23,   25 

Toredo  battle  in  August 208 

Tornado-proof    251 

Tornado,    the    73 

Tortoise    94 

"Touch     of     Nature     makes     the 

world   kin"    313 

Tourelle    213 

Tower  ceiling,  decoration  of...  241 
Tower  design  from  College  Hill 

in    Burlington,    Vermont....    153 

Tower   lookout    133 

Tower   rooms    241,   247 

Tower,  sugar-loaf    13 

Towering,    swaying   forest 215 

Town    cemetery    26 

Toy   closet    in    playroom 295 

Toy  house  for  future  genera- 
tions    328 


Tracing   backward   the   how  and 

wny   211 

Track   walker,  red  lantern  of...      92 
Tragedy   and   pathos    boon   com- 
panions         26 

Training      upward      the      low 

grower    83 

Trammels    172,   221,   277 

Tramp    insect    92 

Transom    adjuster    235 

Transom   bar   truss    144 

Transom    with    curved    top 113 

Transoms,    leaded    144 

Trap     door    to     trunk     room     in 

veranda   ceiling-    281 

Trap  rock  for  roads 69 

Trap  rock  from  Orange  Moun- 
tains    152 

Trapeze    122 

Treadmill     19 

Treatment  of  window,  door,  fire- 
place, etc 304 

Tree   and   shrub   planting 79 

Tree  and  shrub  pruning 79 

Tree,  anemophilous    81 

Tree  basket  nest 138 

Tree  blue  as  steel 85 

Tree   centreing   veranda    138 

Tree    drawing     electricity    from 

soil     _. 213 

Tree-dripped    spaces    screened.. 

Tree   fence   post   protected 69 

Tree     growing     through     porch 

floor     228 

Tree    growth   exampled 208 

Tree     house    straddling    highest 

crotch    63 

Tree  hut  of  the  African 299 

Tree  mosses   298 

Tree  nursery    80 

Tree,  oak  of  Mamre,  only  full 
grown  Mamre  oak  tree  in 

world     82 

Tree   of   Heaven 88 

Tree   of  Paradise 81 

Tree    outlines     80 

Tree   peonies    94 

Tree   north    po'e   pointers 80 

Tree    roses    94 

Tree    sparrows    43 

Tree  species   57 

Tree    tarring    74 

Tree  Top  in  the  tree  tops 270 

Tree-top    room     228 

Tree,  vine  and  shrubbery  soft- 
ening a  glazed  exterior....  303 

Trees  and   shrubs,   weeping 80 

Trees   block   protected 236 

Trees,   feature    80 

Trees    killed    by    electricity 236 

Trees,   leafless    80 

Trees,    nursery-grown    49 

Trees,  scraping  and  tarring  of .  .      74 

Trees   snapped  asunder 71 

Trees,    suet-decorated     101 

Trench  leaping    23 

Trespassing    pupa    93 

Trilobites  two  million  years  old.    183 
Trim,  baseboards  eighteen  inches 

high     324 

Trim,    better    mitreing    in    clear 

fall   and   winter  days 324 

Trim,  chemically   eaten    324 

Trim,   cherry    154 

Trim,     Colonial     dental,     edging 

beam    and   cornice 324 

Trim    controls    wall    and    ceiling 

decoration     296 

Trim    cost    halved 296 

Trim,   ebonlzed  antique    121 

Trim  for  servants'  quarters 
absolutely  plain,  dust  cur- 
tailing    324 


INDEX 


Trim  high  enough  for  base 
plug  space  

Trim,  intarsiatura  work  of  the 
fifteenth  century  

Trim,    interior    

Trim,  jig-saw  and  hand  chisel 
work,  imitating  carving.... 

Trim,    kiln    dried 

Trim  mitred  in  new   ways 

Trim,  narrow  and  thick,  wide 
and  thin,  ogee  curve,  or 
mitred  at  the  corners 

Trim,  obsolete  square  set  cor- 
ner block  

Trim  of  weather-beaten   wood.. 

Trim  placed  against  plaster 
containing  any  moisture  is 
a  building  crime 

Trim,  plain  rather  than  elab- 
orate beading  which  is  a 
dust  gatherer  

Trim,  quartered  oak    

Trim,    red    birch     

Trim,    setting    up    of    standing.  . 

Trim,  square  edge  in  servants' 
quarters  

Trim,   the   kiln  dried   essential.. 

Trimmer  heads  and  tail  beams 
at  stair  and  chimney  open- 
ings   

Trio  of  stuffed  geese 

Trolley  and  automobile  traveled 
turnpike  suitable  for  a  rear 
entrance  

Trolley  possibilities  in  five 
years  

Trousseau 

Trout   stream    67, 

Trout,   non-liver-fed    

Trouvelot.  Professor  L 

Truck  horse  cement 

True  democracy  of  country  liv- 
ing "all  for  each  and  each 
for  all"  

Trundle   bed    

Trunk  closet  in  second  story 
saves  steps  and  defaced 
stairs  

Trunk,  false  bottom 

Trunk,  horse  hair  covered 

Trunk  of  1708 

Trunk  room    

Trusses,  one-inch  iron  rods  set 
up  with  turnbuckles  be- 
tween planks  

Try-out    nursery     

Tub   plants    

Tubers    and    seeds 

Tubs,   laundry,   used    for   table.. 

Tubs,    six,    centreing    laundry... 

Tudor    arch     

Tudor,  Jacobean,  Elizabethan  or 
Victorian  

Tulips     

Tumble   weed  tumbled   trouble.. 

Turf  steps   squared   and   firmed. 

Turkey    gobbler,    bronze 

Turkey,  sixty  pound 

Turkeys     

Turkish  bath    

Turkish   crescent    

Turning-  over  first  clod  of  earth 

Turnspit     

Turnstiles    

Turntable    

"Turret  to  foundation  stone"... 

Turrets     

Turtle  longevity  

Turtle  ponds  

Turtle  prophet  

Turtle,  snapping 

Turtles  


Twentieth  century  man 

324  Twenty-five  or  more  trades  re- 
quired to  build  a  real  house 
324  Twenty  stories  to  banish  the 
158  duster  

Twenty   years    of   farming 

Twin    chimneys     

Twin   guardians    

Twin  manias  of  farming  and 
housebuilding  

Twin  spurs  of  guano  and  shears 

"Two  apples  a  day" 

Two    fireplaces    

Two    fronts   of  a   house 

Two  houses   in  one 

Two  mile  floral    ribbon 

Two   mile   garden   strip.  .  .    

Two   winged   insects 

Types  of  humanity  becoming- 
frenzied  beasts  

Tyrolese     

U-bar  conservatory  

Ugly  landing  or  an  angular 

entry  

Umbrella  canopy,  wooden,  for 

horse  

Umbrella  divers  

"Uncertain  glory  of  an  April 

day"  

Under  and  over  cliff 

Underground  woods,  locust  and 

chestnut  

Underlying  "know  how"  of  actual 

work  

Undeveloped  humans  

Unending  procession  of  insect 

life  

Unknown  force  

Unknown  sleeping  giants 

llntrammeled  reclamation  and 

building  

Unwalled  illusion  rooms  

Unweired  running  streams 

Up-from-cradle  farmer  

Upheaval  in  the  middle  of  the 

nineteenth   century    

Vacuum    cleaning     

Vacuum    cleaning    outfit    

Valleys    copper-flashed     

Values    advance 

Valve,    automatic     

Vanquishing  the  ennui  of  exist- 
ence   

Varied    soil   and    condition 

Varnish    tree    

Vases    203, 

Vassalage   on   1,000   acres.. 

Vault     

Vault,  burglar-proof,  concealed 
in  chimney  arch  

Vault,     fireproof 224, 

Vega    

Vegetable    cellar    

Vegetable    novelties    

Vegetable    storage     

Veneered    beauty    vanishes 

Ventilated   sub-cellar    

Ventilating    fan    in    kitchen    flue 

Ventilating   kerosene    stoves.  . .  . 

Ventilating    louvre    

Ventilation    

Ventilation  at  ceiling  line    

Ventilation  by  electric  heater  in 
chimney  

Ventilation  by  gas  burner  in 
chimney  

Ventilation,  hood    

Ventilation  through  chimney 

22  flue  

>  Ventilation  through  door-sill.. 
34  Veranda  ceiling  leaf  roofed.... 


324 
324 

324 


321 


32  i 


281 
296 


324 
321 


330 

338 
97 

245 
67 
37 

213 


335 
62 


324 
229 
221 
221 
281 


316 
102 
62 
100 
194 
194 
329 

300 

75 

98 

239 

33 

33 

15 

225 

53 

211 

221 

243 

251 

245 

118 

59 

59 


7 

57 

221 

98 

249 
86 
47 

232 

252 

158 

74 

y^ 

.92 


247 
326 


244 
255 


77 
160 


306 
306 


92 
238 

51 

301 

230 

71 

5S 

300 

282 
238, 
214 
341 
11 

341 
97 

102 

218 
58 

224 

197 
229 

27 
254 
102 

62 
303 
237 
22.3 
248 
251 
5 
234 

23! 

231 
134 

219 
235 


INDEX 


409 


Veranda   decay,   prevention   of..    113 
Veranda      extended      beyond      a 
house    to    catch    the    breeze 

152,   320 

Veranda    floor    of   cement 274 

Veranda  floor  white  pine  or  fir — 
N.  C.  pine  lasts  but  short 

time     321 

Veranda  for  farm  hands 63 

Veranda,    galleried     ...    134 

Veranda    posts     150 

Veranda    rail,    half    shingle 142 

Veranda   rail   of   stone 113 

Veranda  roof  high  with  awn- 
ings and  grille 320 

Veranda       roof      pergolad       and 

awned     320 

"\eranda    twenty    feet    wide 1 

Veranda  view    132 

Veranda  water-proof  floor    

Veranda      window       translucent 

glass    122 

Veranda   with   low   stone   rail...    144 
Verandas,    bays    and    projections 
outlined       with       plasterers' 

grounds    329 

Arerdure-crowned    lintel     325 

Verge    boards    5 

Vermin-breeder     9 

Vermin   exterminators    101 

Vermin-proof    store    room 224 

Versailles,    incomparable   beauty 

of    299 

Versailles,    touches    of 144 

Vestibule     130 

Vestibule    door    metal-grilled...    161. 

Vestibule    draught    stopper 257 

Vestibule,    glassed-in    160 

Ve.stibuled  entrance,  palms, 
plants,  silver-throated  song- 
sters    312 

Viceroy     94 

Victor    ?B 

View    from    roof   uplifting 199 

View    panes    216 

Views,   disappearing    247 

Viking   craft    189 

Village  carpenter  and  inexperi- 
enced architect  300 

Village    green    of   Lexington....    217 

Village    -wiseacre    277 

Vine-draped    wire    fences    335 

Vinegar-making     63 

Vine-screened    wood    to   be   oiled 

rather   than    re-painted 312 

Vineyards    140 

violets    24? 

Vireo,    red-eyed     47 

Visitors    scrutinized     237 

Vistas   within   and. without 328 

Vistas     on     stairs     and     through 

stair    window     193 

Viticetum     86 

Volcanic    crater     

Wachu°etts     55 

Waddlina-    starlings     43 

Wage    saving     294 

"Wainscot   Circassian   walnut....    241 

Wainscot,    paneled     US 

Wainscot,    unpainted     5 

Wainscot,    unnaneled     241 

Wainscot   writh  paneled  door....    225 

Wainscoting   of   oak 171 

Wainscoting   vs.    plaster 295 

Wait!    make    the    old    house    do, 

with  must-haves 339 

Waiting-   shelter    124 

Walkine-    stick    92 

Walks   of  flat  stone   inset  in  sod    243 
Walks     of     Ischia,     Japan     and 

Capri    243 

Wall   and   ceiling   rough   as   gold 

nuggets    241 


Wall   candle    

Wall  covering-    

Wall   decoration    

Wall    fixtures    concealed 

Wall    fountain    of    Caen    stone.. 
Wall,      honeycombed,      red      tile 

capped     

Wall   ladder        

Wall,    oak    paneled 

Wall  of  boulders 

Wall  of  mortuary  memory 

Wall,  open  jointed  broken 
ashler,  plants  atop  and  in 

crevices    

Wall   plastered   to  the  floor 

Wall  recess  for  bed,  with  closet 
at  each  side 

Wall  safe  set  in  cement  and 
riveted  

Wall,  shrub-topped  and  crevice 
filled  

Walled-in   meadow    

Walls,    burlap-covered    

Walls  cooled  by  overhang 

Walls  covered  with  paper  or 
burlap  before  they  are  thor- 
oughly dry  foundation  many 
an  ill  

Walls   damp-proof    

Walls  ditch  drained  and  tarred. 

Walls,  -Grecian    

Walls,    indestructible    cement... 

Walls,    murescoed    

Wralls  paneled  with  marbleized 
cement  

Walls,    retaining    

Walls,   sand-finished 

"Walls,   sand    finished,    unpapered 

Walls,  wooden-pegged    

Wai  tham    

Wanderlust   

"War  that  tried  men's  souls"... 

Wardian    case,    aquatic 

Wardian  case  zinc  lined 

Warming   pan    

Warriors  mute  and  mighty 

Wash  tubs  of  seamless  porcelain 

Washed   roadways    

Washer,  electric    

Washington    cave     

Washington,  folk-lore  tales  of.. 

Wasp   marauders    

Wasps,   mud   and   digger 

Waste  lumber  guarded  from  fire 

Waste   space   in   house 

Wasting  time   and  lumber 

Watch  dog  safe  from  cajolery.  . 

Watch   tower  tree    

Water  beetle    

Water    boatmen    

Water   cave    

Water  damage  to  plates  and 
films  

Water    filtering    

Waterfall,    foam-flecked    

Water    fowl    

Water   gate 203, 

Water  inlet  safeguarded  from 
germs  

Water  lawn   groomed   by  nature 

"Water  pipe  inlet  one  and  one- 
half  inches;  outlet  two-inch 
Pipe  

Water    pipes     

Water  pipes  near  outer  walls 
wrapped  in  mineral  wool 
check  condensation  as  well 
as  frost  

Water  plants    

Water-proof  insect  eggs 

Water-proofing    

Water    scorpion    


222 
241 
241 
235 
189 

239. 
261 
169- 
335 
251 


335 

98 

241 

254 


330 
30& 
331 
189 
228 
224 

189 

213 

234 

115 

214 

247 

27 

61 

193 

325 

242 

97 

224 

71 

224 

124 

124 

91 

93 

294 

252 

289 

226 

41 

93 

93 

277 

229 
9 

218 

71 

282 

225 
160 


323 
232 


322 
99 
91 

213 
93 


410 


INDEX 


Water     seal     holding     in     leash 

sewer    gas    322 

Water      seal      must       fight      air 
bubbles,    downward    suction, 

and    evaporation    322 

Water-striders    93 

AVater    supply    9,  26,   292 

Water     table     corbeled 161,  310 

Water    table    gutter 308 

Water   table    of   ogee   bricks....    214 
Water    thrown    well   away    from 

foundation     214 

Water  wheel  in  miniature 71 

Waters,    polluted    282 

Waterways,    might    of 238 

Watery  grave   victims 99 

Wax  and    water   clash 234 

Waxed   flowers  held   by   hand   of 

death   252 

Way      out      for      the       amateur 

poultry  raiser    33 

Wayside    62,   331 

"We    are    all     traveling    toward 

sunset"    208 

Weasel    33 

Weather    strips,    metal 216 

Weather  vane    7 

Weed-deterrent   kerosene    69 

Weed-filled    sod    218 

Weeding    out    sluggards 293 

Weedless    land    99 

Week-end    exodus    299 

Week-end   proposition    251 

Weeping   widow  and   willow....    252 

"Wee  sma'   hours" 226 

Weir    tank    13 

Well   digger's    theory 89 

Well    for    ram 11 

Well    hole    221 

Well,   rock-dug    11 

Well    sweep    243 

West    rooms,    broiling 212 

Whale    boats    277 

Whatnots    221,   251 

"Where   the    sun   does    not   come 

the    doctor    does" 304 

"Where   you    tend   a   rose" 

"Wherein   the   air   bit  shrewdly"     77 
White    and     colored     whitewash  . 
will      differentiate      on      the 
greensward    each    story    and 

room    327 

White   daisies    15 

White    daisy,    throttling 74 

White    enamel    finish 212 

White   farm    13 

White   horse   outgeneraled 9 

White    picture     240 

White    pine    boards    shrink    less 
than   spruce,   chestnut  or   N. 

C.    pine     306 

White    Rock     158 

White    wood    imitating    mahog- 
any        306 

Whitewash      thatch      protection 

with     whitewash     gun 313 

Whittier   homestead    221 

Whiz   view    of    fences    from    car 

window     334 

"Who   loves   a   garden" 82 

Whortleberries    55 

Wicker    furniture     227 

Wicket,    sea-green    glass 277 

Wide     overhang    and    unbroken 

roof  line    129,   305 

Widen   a   stair   opening 329 

Width  of  step  plus  height  equal 

to   walking   stride 326 

Wild    apple    seedling 49 

Wild  aviary    243 

Wild   carrot    74 

Wild    forest   scene 133 

Wild    garden    98 


Wilderness       of       bramble       and 

brier    140 

Will  o'  the  wisp  Dame  Archi- 
tecture    299 

Willow   galls    93 

Willow,  glossy  leaved  laurel,  as 

hedge    67 

Willow,   golden  stalks   of 77 

Wind  hedge  of  cedar 49 

Wind   shields   of  plate  glass 232 

Winders    254 

Windmill    9 

Window  and  door  frames  poorly 
set  increase  heating  ex- 
pense    324 

Window  and  door  openings 289 

'Window    box    greenery 5 

Window  boxes  fitted  for  dresses   146 

Window  boxes  of  cement 214 

Window    boxes    with    evergreens   122 
Window      boxes      with      summer 

plants    122 

Window  column  alcoved    144 

Window   fastenings    226,   235 

Window   fixtures,   non-rattling..    216 
Window  frame  pockets  large  to 
allow    substitution     of    iron 
weights    for    those    of    more 

expensive    lead 311 

Window,    French    transom 146 

Window,  glass  hinged 228 

Window   guard    rails 227,  234 

Window    height    215 

Window,    leaded    concave    16x16    .142 
Window,      low,      controlled      by 

button 228 

Window    of   bulls'    eyes 281 

Window   on   attic    stair 270 

Window   on   stairs 113,   183,   225 

Window,  oriel    132 

Window   panes,    manorial 214 

Window  problem    214 

Window      screens       painted       to 

match    trim     216 

Window    seats,    cedar   lined 228 

Window  seats,   grilled 236 

Window  seats   in  billiard  room.    234 
Window    seats    six    inches    from 

window     236 

Window  sills  deep  for  frond, 
flower,  and  sun  couch  for 
"the  necessary  and  harm- 
less cat"  311 

Window,    slit    140 

Window,   squint-eye    221 

Window    tax,    senseless 215 

Window,    telescopic     216 

Window   treatment   step-up 234 

Window,  ventilating  lift  dormer  270 

Window   ventilation    235 

Window,    vine-embowered    282 

Window,  wide  eyebrow  in  ver- 
anda roof,  giving  additional 

light     311 

Window   with   ventilating  hood.    254 

Windowed    alcove,    oriel 183 

Windowed    stair    landing 261 

Windowless    hall    214 

Windows     169,   295 

Windows,   afterthought    158 

Windows  at  alternate  height...    228 

Windows,    basement    194 

Windows    between    studs    spring 

controlled     257 

Windows,   box    216 

Windows,  casement 227 

Windows,  cellar    225 

Windows,    chain-hung    115,   216 

Windows,    clustered     311 

Windows,     cornered 216 

Windows   deeply   embrasured   in 

a  thin  walled  house 311 

Windows,    diamond    212 


INDEX 


411 


Windows,   double 189 

Windows,  double  leaded 215 

Windows,    Elizabethan   189 

Windows,  end,  enlarge  room....    121 

Windows,  eyebrow    254,   305 

Windows,   first  story    216,   311 

Windows  for  low-studded  rooms   110 

Windows,    French    133 

Windows,    glaring-    spectacle....    154 
Windows    glowed    with    opales- 
cent   glass 216 

Windows     in     nursery     unsafely 

low     295 

Windows    iron    barred 220 

Windows      iron      shuttered     and 

barred    .  .122,   220 

Windows,       mullioned       triplets, 

casements    and    transoms...    305 

Windows,    observatory     144 

Windows   on    one    side 234 

Windows   on  staircase 216 

Windows  on  stairs,  arched  head   135 
WTindows,  over-attic  casement..    157 

Windows  over  head  high 193 

Windows,    picture    215 

Windows,    sash-hung   for   secur- 
ity      215 

Windows,   side  sliding 129 

Windows,    south     227,   248 

Windows,    stai'ned    glass 121 

Windows,  storm,  lowered  in  rail  232 

WTindows,   telescopic    216 

Windows    that    cheer 216 

Windows   the   eyes   of  house....    232 

Windows   to   ceiling   height 215 

Windows,    translucent   glass....    216 
Windows,  triplicate,  cost  less  to 
set     and     trim     than     three 

single     windows 327 

Windows,    twin   picture,    9x12...    144 

Windows,     two    hundred 122 

Windows,  ventilating  lift  dormer 

115,   216,   254 

Windows,    vine-framed    215 

Windows  with  automatic  fasten- 
ings        216 

Windows  with   large   panes 215 

Windows  with  small  panes 215 

Wine    sap    49 

Winter    contrasts    in    trunk    and 

limb     77 

Winter    flowering    shrubs 81 

Winter   Nelis    53 

Winter    planting    contrasts 212 

Winter,  pruning    55 

Wire-cutting      branch,      preven- 
tion of    95 

Wire  fence  arched  outward 65 

Wire      fence      centreing      privet 

hedge    244 

Wire  guard  rail  on  pier 208 

Wire   hose-protected   trees    96 

Wire  leaf  guards 9 

Wire    nail    good     friend    of    the 

shingle  merchant   313 

Wire  rope  ladders .    332 

Wire    stay    embedded    in    grow- 
ing   tree     237 

Wire    •worm     93 

Wired    glass    213,   315 

Wireless  attached  to  flag  pole..    208 
Wireless      gamut,      Eastport     to 

Florida    Keys     208 

Wires,    electric,    damp-proof....    236 
Wires,    electric,    underground...    236 

Wiseacre    visitors     2 

Wistaria,      earliest      and      latest 

bloomer     69 

Witch   hazel    65 

Withdrawing    room    329 

Wolf-drubbing     120 

Wonder   tree    79 


Wood      meeting      stone      means 

calked    crevices     308 

AYoodbine,  fire-red   98 

Wood   borer    259 

Wood  carpet  of  velvet  beauty..  21 

Wood   carving  arched   the   porch  154 

Woodcock    65 

Wood  exteriors  that  shrink 
tend  to  crack  a  stucco 

covering     309 

Wood,  green,  vs.  kiln  dried 289 

Wood      incongruities      against 

stone   and   brick 312 

Wood    jigger,    flesh-eating 82 

Wood    kyanizing     208 

Wood  lot    65 

Woodpecker    43 

AVood    pulp    plaster 232,   322 

Woodwork  in  basement  enam- 
eled white  197 

Woodwork,    trim,    and    wainscot 

painted  on  the  back 321 

Wood    yields    readily    to    artistic 

treatment 303 

Wooden    board    lath 62 

Wooden  ceilings,  if  not  T.  &  G. 
beaded,  make  an  attrac- 
tive finish  325 

Wooden     cold     air     box      burns 

easily    323 

Wooden  houses  deteriorate  from 

three  to  ten  per  cent,  yearly  301 
Wooden        lath        has        bracing 

strength     321 

Woodland   paradise    65 

Woodland     parked    and    arbore- 

tumed      159 

"Woodman,    spare    that    tree"...  215 

Woods     306 

Woodworking   mill    294 

Wool    fleeces    243 

Working  by  the   day,   objections 

to      294 

Working   day   halved 238 

Working  pit  in  garage  floor....  245 
Workmen    handled    like    pendu- 
lum      290 

Workmen  remaining  on  floor  or 
roof  until  noon  and  quitting 

time   294 

Workmen,    substitution   of 291 

Workshop    ....._. 203 

World,   insectless    90 

World  of  color    304 

World   out   of   balance 90 

World    restful    5 

World    within    a    world 193 

Worlds  major  and   minor 92 

Worms    35 

Wormwood    of   straggling   habit  87 

Window    treatment,    step-up....  234 

Window,  ventilating  lift  dormer  270 

Worthless    sports     86 

Would-be    farmer     19 

Wren    39,   45 

Writing   nook    219 

Writing   room    124 

Wrought    iron    boilers    scale.  .  .  .  324 

Wyandotte,    silver    penciled 31 


Xylotrya,    the 


208 


Yacht,   condemned    282 

Yacht    pier    160,   230,  274 

Yacht    room    230 

Yacht    steps,    adjustable 207 

Yacht   studio    282 

Yachtsman's    shelter     1-r>9 

Yankee,  thrift-driven   251 

"Yarbs"    97 

Yearlings     17 


412  INDEX 

Years    of    painstaking-   search.  . .  103  Your   Mecca    33<? 

Year's    residential    tryout 301  Yucca  garments   in   museums...  81 

Yellow  Spanish    c.5  Yuccas  in  serried  columns 81 

"Ye    olden    Tyme" 173  Yule   log-    173 

Yew  and  privet,  trimming  of...  218 

Yew,    1,100    years   old 102  Zebra  caterpillar    93 


UCSQUTHi 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


